Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (© Antonio Salaverry/Shutterstock)

Today we're inside the Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the humble act of opening a book took on grand architectural ambitions. Founded in 1837 by 43 Portuguese immigrants, just 15 years after Brazil's independence, the institution eventually moved into the building seen here, completed half a century later in a lavish Neo-Manueline style. Shelves soar over 20 metres around a vast reading room, crowned by a monumental stained-glass skylight that makes daylight part of the design.