The town's main square is named for Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage (1765-1805), Setúbal's most famous son and one of the great pre-Romantic poets of Portugal. His bronze statue stands in the middle, looking faintly disapproving. The buildings around the square include the town hall, a baroque-fronted church, and a row of pastelarias good for an afternoon coffee.
In the evenings the square fills up with locals; tables spill out from the cafés and there is usually a small market or municipal event in progress. It's the centre of Setúbal's social life and a good place to take the temperature of the town.