|
 Porto Accommodation
Porto Guest & Manor Houses
Porto Holiday Apartments
Porto Holiday Rental Agents
Porto Holiday Resorts
Porto Hotels
Porto Hotels & Spa
Porto Inns
Porto Pousadas
Porto Entertainment
Porto - Night Life
Porto - Restaurants
Porto - What to Do
Porto Golf Courses
Estela Golf Course
Ponte de Lima Golf Course
Quinta da Barca Golf Course
Amarante Golf Course
Vidago Palace Golf Course
Montebelo Golf Course
Golfe da Quinta do Fojo
Oporto Golf Club
Vale Pisao
Porto Vehicle Hire
Rent a Car
Porto Wines
Douro
· Port
· Vinho Verde
History of Porto
The history of this now great city had humble beginnings. The Romans gave
the place the name of "Portocale” and official records of its
existence date from 5th Century. The Moors who later occupied most of the
Iberian Peninsular destroyed in the early 8th Century whatever previously
had existed in this location. It was later captured in the name of the
Christian army in 982 and came under the power of Count Henry de
Burgundy who ordered a Cathedral to be built. He also introduced a law
that stated no nobleman or powerful person could own property or remain
within the walls for more than three days. This law was only repealed in
1505. In 1120 the then Queen, Dona Teresa, donated the place of
little more than a collection of houses surrounded by a wall to the Bishop
Dom Hugo. It was the efforts of this man that in 1147 convinced the
English, Flemish and German crusaders to sail on to Lisbon to assist
Dom Afonso Henriques to liberate this town from the Moors. In 1237
the Dominicans established a Monastery for their Order. The place only
expanded during the Period of the Discoveries when Portugal became Europe's
central point in trade and it needing good home ports for its ships and
cargo. In the 15th Century the town was one of the ship building centres in
Portugal.
The populace of the town was to many times show their independence to
domination and taxation. In 1209 the Bishop upset the people to the extent
that he remained besieged in his Palace for five months. The Inquisition
enjoyed only limited power here, lasting only four years with only one act
of "auto-de-fé". In 1628 the women staged a revolt against a new tax
introduced on linen and woollen goods. In 1757 the inhabitants revolted
with many casualties against the wine monopoly imposed by Marquês de
Pombal. Radicals in favour of placing the autocrat Dom Miguel on
the throne caused Porto to be besieged in 1832 for eighteen months
before capitulating. There were more uprisings during the later half of the
19th Century and it was here in 1878 the first Republican representative
in Portugal was elected.
The official name of this city is Porto. However, in recent times
there has been popularity for people from other parts to refer to it as
"Oporto". This is due to its close and lengthy association
with Port wine and the reference to the actual product, "o porto".
(Visit - Portugal History)
Porto - Description
As a trading centre at the mouth of the Rio Douro it is the second
largest city after Lisbon with over 320.500 inhabitants. The city
has a number of distinctive atmospheres and this is very evident when
comparing the various parts of the city. The quarter along the riverside
known as the Ribeira is full of narrow twisting streets with houses
once painted or tiled in colourful facades, and full of the bustling
energy of working people during the day and the liveliness of busy
"tascas" and restaurants at night.
The district around the Cathedral is also full of busy streets and
monuments to past achievements, and these streets are lined with houses
built like layers of a cake then crowded together with a maze of small
alleys in-between. The Cordoaria quarter is for the students with
steep streets and interesting shops. The civic centre of the city is in
the Central e Baixa quarter with broad avenues lined with Banks
and outdoor cafés, or in the Baixa where the the two-tiered covered
daily market goes about its business. Lastly, the Boavista area is
the arterial route in and out of the city past blocks of apartments and
hotels.
As would be expected of such an important city it is full of fascinating
buildings. The imposing 12th Century Sé (Cathedral) contains within
many small-scale treasures from the past. Built in 1842 the inside of the
Palácio da Bolsa is almost like being in an Arabian dream. The 14th
Century Igreja de São Francisco has an 18th Century interior to
amaze the traveller. In this church is the Árvore de Jesse, a
carved representation of the genealogy of Christ. Equally as amazing is
the Igreja da Santa Clara whose opulent gilded interior has to be
seen to be believed. The Feitoria Inglesa built in 1790, is a private
club restricted to the traders in Port Wine and it is only open to the
public by invitation. Its interior is designed around a typical wealthy
English townhouse of that period with an impressive sweeping staircase.
Cut-glass chandeliers containing hundreds of candles light the ballroom in
which occasional balls are still held. Some other churches of note are
Igreja da Misericórdia, Igreja dos Congregados, Igreja dos Clérigos,
Igreja do Carmo and the Igreja de São Martinho de Cedofeita.
Among the points of interest is the Terreiro da Sé with an original
Manueline pillory complete with hooks in the corners. The São Bento
Railway Station containing tiled pictures by Jorge Colaço depicting
early modes of transport and other interesting scenes.
Porto lies on the north bank of the Rio Douro and is
connected to the south bank by several bridges, one of which is the
Dona Maria Pia Railway Bridge, built by Gustave Eiffel in
1877. It is recorded that the many pieces left over were used to both span
the Rio Arade in the Algarve and to build the lift Elevador da
Santa Justa in Lisbon. A sad story from history is that prior
to the bridge built in 1877 there was one built from linked barges tied
together with steel ropes. In 1809, the Porto inhabitants used this
bridge to flee from the invading French army and it collapsed drowning
more than 5.000 people.
To many persons the City of Porto is associated with a their dish
of "tripe". There exists a legend that when the King was
equipping his fleet for the invasion of Ceuta in 1415 he stocked
his ships with every available piece of meat and left the citizens to
exist on all that remained which was tripe - the inhabitants when forced
to continuously eat the offal they invented as many ways as possible to
make the dish palatable. It has become the traditional dish associated
with Porto.
A very attractive and interesting trip is to travel by boat up the
Rio Douro and this can be booked in advance through your Hotel.
Porto - Museums
Museums abound within and around Porto and here are the main ones.
The Museu Soares dos Reis is named after Portugal’s leading 19th
Century sculpture. Besides his outstanding works there is a collection of
fine art and contemporary paintings together with many historical items.
The Casa-Museu Guerra Junqueiro is the former home of a very active
Republican and contains his personal and variable collection. The Museu
de Etnografia e História depicts the life and customs of the city and
its region from earliest days up to more recent times. The Museu
Romântico was once the home of King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia
and the upper floor of the building has been turned into a romantic memory
of its previous owner. Below this last museum is the Solar do Vinho do
Porto, the head office of the Port Wine Institute where Port tasting
is provided to visitors. Museu do Carro Eléctrico keeps alive the
city’s original transport system with its collection of past trams
including one from 1872 drawn by mules. The Fundação de Serralves
is devoted to culture and particularly to fine arts with constantly
changing exhibitions. The Casa-Museu Fernando de Castro exhibits a
personal collection that ranges from religious sculpture to paintings of
the 20th Century. The Casa-Oficina de Antonio Carneiro is the
studio-home of this artist and exhibits his paintings together with the
works of his two sons.
Porto - Nearby Locations
Facing and directly across the river to Porto is the town of Vila
Nova de Gaia. Its origin and history is linked to the exporting of wine
and was established by King Afonso III in 1253 when he disagreed
with the control held by the Bishop of Porto over the trade. It is
here that all the great Port shippers have established their Lodges and
send their products throughout the world. Tourists can visit these Lodges
by booking in advance. Some of the main Lodges maintain their traditional
"barcos rabelos" boats used to bring the wine down the river from
the Upper Rio Douro to their Lodges since 1780. Outline information
about Port wine and its history can be obtained from our Web Page within
our Site.
On the coast to the north of Porto are two more popular holiday
resort towns, Vila do Conde and Póvoa de Varzim. The first
town is of older origin and used to enjoy an active shipbuilding industry
in the 15th Century. Today, the remodelled 14th Century Mosteiro de
Santa Clara imposes its presence on the many tourists using the town
for their holidays. Further to the northeast is the town of Santo Tirso
a centre for the large textile industry in Portugal. A little to the west
of this town is the small hamlet of Roriz that dates back to about
the 8th Century. To the north of Santo Tirso is the Spa Caldas
da Saude.
To the east is the town of Penafiel. The first named is reputedly
for its popular “vinha verde” quality wine that is consumed in
great quantities. Close by to this town is the 12th Century Church of
São Gens, only 10 metres high and 7 metres in width and length,
and said to be the smallest Romanesque church in Portugal. Also to the
east of Porto in the direction of Amarante is the small
hamlet of Crete with its primitive 10th Century monastery. To the
south of this town is Paço de Sousa with its 10th Century church.
Further south is the medieval and well fortified Monte Mozinho
which was basically a hamlet covering some 20 hectares. To the northeast
of this town is the small town of Lousada with a 13th Century Tower.
To the southeast is the town of Marco de Canaveses dating back to
at least 200 AD. Directly north of Crete is Paços de Ferreira
with the Igeja de São Alavador as a perfect example of a 12th
Century church. Even further to the north is the archaeological Celtic
site at Sanfins.
Further to the east is the town interesting town of Amarante and
the birthplace of many famous people including painters Amadeu de
Sousa-Cardoso and António Carnerio, the poet Abade de
Jasente, the writers Joaquim Teixeira de Vasconcelos and
Augustina Bessa-Luís. The town of Amarante and its 16th
Century Convento de São Gonçalo together with the 18th Century
bridge built to replace the original medieval one, creates an attractive
vision to the many visitors. It was in this town on the 18th of April in
1809, a small band of Portuguese soldiers and volunteers held the bridge
against the weight of the invading French army for an incredible 14 days.
Needless to say the French troops afterwards took their revenge on the
local inhabitants and set the buildings on fire before moving onwards. To
the north of Amarante is the town of Celorico de Basto and
the castle of Arnóia
To the southeast of Porto are the towns of Arouca, Castro Daire,
São Pedro do Sul and Vouzela. All of these locations contain
centuries old attractive buildings that testify to the individual history
of each town. Bridges, monasteries, ruins of castles or forts, stately
homes, all of which indicate the rich historic value of this part of the
countryside.
Along the coast at the mouth of the Rio Douro is the commercial
town of Matosinhos with its busy fishing industry. Further to the
south on the coast is the holiday resort town of Espinho.
Porto Weather (detailed)
Detailed Canidelo weather conditions
Detailed Espinho weather conditions
Detailed Esposende weather conditions
Detailed Matosinhos weather conditions
Detailed Póvoa de Varzim weather conditions
Porto Photos
View of Porto
· Porto Bridge
· Porto Barcos Rabelos
· Old Town Porto
· Porto Cathedral
· View of Town Park
|
Porto Events |
--
|
| Festa da Francesinha |
10th to 14th July |
| Festa da Cidade |
10th to 29th June |
| Festival de São João do Porto |
23rd & 24th of June |
| Town Holiday |
24th June |
| Festa da Artesanato (Crafts) |
December |
| Market Day |
Every day
|
Costa Verde Towns
Braga
· Guimarães
· Viana do Castelo
|
|
Useful Porto Telephone Numbers
4000