About Porto and Portugal
Portugal and Porto - A Touch of History
Portugal is the Country where the Atlantic meets Europe.
Portugal emerged as a Nation State in the early 12th century and ranks as one of the world's longest established countries.
In 1143 Portugal was raised to the status of a kingdom. The beautiful City of Guimarães, the birthplace of Dom Afonso Henriques, situated in the very Heart of the verdant Minho Region, was the first Capital of Portugal and is known as "the cradle of Portuguese nationality".
Dom Afonso Henriques became the first King of independent Portugal. He took three quarters of present day Portugal, including Lisbon, from the Muslims. After his death in 1185 the conquest was completed by his successors. Portugal's boundaries in the Continent have remained unchanged since the 13th century.
It was from this most westerly European country that Prince Henry the Navigator, in the first half of the 15th century, financed expeditions that led to the discovery of the New World. From his School of Navigation in Sagres, the most southwestern Portuguese town, ships departed on their exploration of the boundless seas and the unknown world beyond - Portugal turned to the Ocean, thereby defining its destiny.
Find more about Portugal in the official tourism website:
Portugal tourism official website
Porto is Portugal's second city of influence and is considered the capital of Northern Portugal, a region of commerce and industry, but also of striking beauty.
It is a hilly city, stretching for many kilometers along the right (North) bank of the Douro river, near the River Estuary, ending abruptly at the Atlantic.
The City of Porto itself has a population of about 350,000 inhabitants, but including its two sister cities, Vila Nova de Gaia and Matosinhos, the population of the entire metropolitan area is around 1.2 million.
Today, the Region of Porto is served by the second largest docks in Portugal and is very easily accessible from abroad, with many direct flights to Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport, situated about 13 km from Porto centre and at less than a 30 minutes drive from several other cities (Braga, Guimarães, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real or Aveiro), connected as they are by an extensive network of motorways.
Porto is also a City of Knowledge, Science and Technology, the Home of the single largest Portuguese University, with circa 28000 students in all branches of knowledge.
Porto is above all an ancient city, rich in history and culture, with its historical Old Centre recently classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The presence of humans can be traced to the Palaeolithic age. 2000 years ago «Portus Cale» was a port well known to the Romans everywhere throughout their Empire. «Portus» changed into Porto and from «Portus Cale» came the name of Portugal.
The river has always been the strongest pole of attraction. Sloping steeply down towards the river with its remarkable bridges - one of them designed by Gustave Eiffel - Porto has been an inspiration to a variety of artists. The picturesque old riverbank area, called 'Ribeira', hugging the north bank of the river, presents a striking picture of architectural harmony and urban planning which in themselves justify the city being granted World Heritage status.
Porto was the birthplace of Henry the Navigator, and played an important part in the Portuguese maritime expansion. Throughout national history, the city has been distinguished by its sense of independence and love of freedom. It was here that the Liberal Revolution took place (1820), as well as the first attempt to implant a Republic (1891).
Porto has a rich and varied architectural and artistic heritage which is well represented in some outstanding examples of baroque architecture, such as the Churches of S. Francisco, Santa Clara and S. João da Foz, where the splendour of the golden carved wood covers the interior stonework, or the Church of Carmo and the Capela das Almas, which are covered by vast panels of portuguese 'Azulejos' - blue and white tiles.
The name of the city is known throughout the world mainly due to its famous Port wine ("Vinho do Porto"). The vineyards are cultivated on the hillsides along the river Douro where the wine is produced. Then the wine is transported to Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto's sister city which faces it along the south bank of the river, where it is matured in special oak barrels in the many riverside cellars.
Enough of descriptions.
We live in the age of modern communications. May we suggest that you spend a few more minutes surfing the web, going through the information sites about Portugal and about Porto which we have selected for you. By means of the photos and the text, you will catch a glimpse of our country and of the City where the Bologna Seminar will take place.
Do surf the
Porto tourism official website
You will be able to learn about the City and the Region - its history, its art, its climate…
but of course,
the only way to learn about its people, their traditions and culture, is to visit us and spend a few more days here.
And... thus, we leave you with a suggestion:
Do take advantage of your visit, stay a few more days and travel to the delightful Minho or to the beautiful Port wine region along the Douro Valley. Or, in this month of June, stay in Porto and enjoy the amazing night of 23-24 June, in honor of St. John. You will be able to watch the fireworks at midnight and drink vinho verde and eat sardines all night, together with more than one hundred thousand visitors that in a very friendly mood gather in Ribeira by the river or in Avenida dos Aliados by the City Hall.