Being built on the slopes of the steep hills that overlook the River Douro, Porto has a truly unique appearance and its historic centre has already been classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The 'granite city' is also known for its striking bridges and the much celebrated Port wine, which is stored and savoured by wine lovers all over the world."
In fact, Porto is responsible for giving Portugal its name. The Lusitanian settlement of Cale on one side of the Douro, and another Roman settlement called Portus on the other were known as Portus-Cale.
The town was capital of the Portucale lands between the Rio Douro and Rio Minho and after the Reconquista the kingdom took on the name of Portugal.
Visiting Porto:
* Porto’s Bridges:
- Ponte de Maria Pia, also known under the name of the Eiffel bridge because it was built by Eiffel. It was inaugurated in 1877, is 354 m long and was a railway bridge. It is now closed.
- Ponte Dom Luís I was built in 1886 by a Belgian company, 172 m and has 2 roadways. This bridge is now a pedestrian bridge.
- Ponte da Arrábida was inaugurated in 1963, is 270 m long and is a road bridge, built by a Portuguese architect.
- Ponte de S.João, a railway bridge built in 1992 to replace the Eiffel bridge.
- Ponte do Freixo, a road bridge inaugurated in 1995.
- Ponte Infante D.Henrique inaugurated in 2003.
*Cathedral
The Porto Sé (Cathedral) is a building of roman structure that dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, which suffered great changes during the Baroque. Outside it still maintains the looks of a fortress church with battlements.
* Clérigos Tower
Baroque 18th century construction by Nicolau Nasoni. Worthy of notice are the church’s interior decorated with Baroque-rococo gilt carvings, the polychromatic retable by Manuel Porto and the impressive 75.60-metres tower.
* Avenida dos Aliados
Avenida dos Aliados is the heart of the city, a sloping boulevard lined with grand buildings and a central promenade.
Ribeira means in Portuguese "minor river" or a river with little flow of water. It is also a word for the oldest part of Oporto, a place where the city was born and developed due to trade in the river mouth.
