The Dom Luís 1st Bridge (Ponte Dom Luís I) is a metal arch bridge that spans the Douro River between the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia in Portugal. At the time of construction its span of 172 m was the longest of its type in the world.
Read more...Mosteiro Santa Maria da Vitória, more commonly known as the Batalha Monastery, is a Dominican convent in the Portuguese town of Batalha, in the District of Leiria, Portugal. It is one of the best and original examples of Late Gothic architecture in Portugal, intermingled with the Manueline style. It amazes the onlooker with its profusion of gables, spires, pinnacles and buttresses. It has become a symbol of national pride.
Read more...Belém Tower a fortified tower located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal.
The Belém Tower was built in the early sixteenth century in the Portuguese late-Gothic style, the Manueline, to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition. This defensive, yet elegant construction has become one of the symbols of the city, a memorial to Portuguese power as it was during the Age of Discovery. In 1983, it was classified, together with the nearby Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Jerónimos Monastery), as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Guimarães Castle, located in the city of Guimarães, Portugal, was ordered to be built by Dona Mumadona Dias in the 10th century in order to defend its monastery from Muslim and Norman attacks.
Guimarães is a city and municipality in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the district of Braga. In the 9th century, Vímara Peres was able to expel the Moors and founded a fortified town under his own name Vimaranis (of Vimar) which later became Guimaranis, present day Guimarães. The city is often referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality" and also was the birthplace of Afonso I of Portugal, the first Portuguese king.
Angra, or Angra do Heroísmo, is a city on the island of Terceira in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores.
Angra is also the archepelago's oldest city, possibly dating as early as 1534. Some claim that Angra was founded by Álvaro Martins, who sailed with Didrik Pining on his expedition to the New World, and with Bartolomeu Dias on his voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. Others contend that Angra was founded in 1450 or 1451 by Jácome de Bruges, a Fleming in the service of Prince Henry the Navigator, who recruited farmers, fishermen, and merchants in the Low Countries to colonize the Azores.
The Côa Valley Paleolithic Art site is one of the largest known open air sites of Paleolithic art.
In the late 1980s, the engravings were discovered in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, in northeastern Portugal. The site in situated in the valley of the Côa river, and comprises thousands of engraved drawings of horses, bovines and other animal, human and abstract figures, dated from 22,000 to 10,000 years BCE. Since 1995 a team of archaeologists have been studying and cataloging this pre-historical complex and a park was created to receive visitors.
The Roman Temple of Évora (also referred to as the Templo de Diana, after Diana, ancient Roman goddess of the moon, the hunt, and chastity) is located in the city of Évora, in Portugal. The temple is part of the historical centre of the city, classified a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is one of the most famous landmarks of Évora and a symbol of Roman presence in Portuguese territory.
Read more...The University of Évora (Universidade de Évora) is a public university in Évora, Portugal.
The University of Évora, the second oldest in Portugal, was founded in the 16th century (1559) by Cardinal Infante Dom Henrique (the future king of Portugal), and by the Pope Paul IV, and it was delivered to the Society of Jesus.
The Castle of the Moors is located in the town of Sintra, Portugal. The castle is located on a high hill overlooking the town, being one of its most important tourist attractions. It is part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.
As implied by its name, the castle is of Moorish origin, but the current building is the result of a romantic renovation carried out in the 19th century. The views from its walls and towers are breathtaking. The town of Sintra with its royal palace, as well as the Pena National Palace are all visible from the Castle of the Moors.
Costa Verde is a touristic region in northwest Portugal.
Porto, also Oporto in English, is Portugal's second city and capital of the Norte NUTS II region. The city is located in the estuary of the Douro river in northern Portugal. The largest city in the region, Porto is considered the economic and cultural heart of the entire region. The city, which had an estimated population of about 240,000 (2008), lies at the centre of the political Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto, with a population of slightly more than 2.0 millions (est. 2008), and of a broader metropolitan agglomeration (including the city of Braga) with over 3.2 million inhabitants (2008). The city of Porto comprises 15 civil parishes. The historic centre of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.
The Alcobaça Monastery or "Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça" is a mediaeval monastery located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.
The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal.
The Convent of the Order of Christ in Tomar, Portugal, was originally a Templar stronghold built in the 12th century. After the Order of the Knights Templar was dissolved in the 14th century, the Portuguese branch of the order was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, which supported Portugal's maritime discoveries of the 15th century.
The Alcobaça Monastery is a mediaeval monastery located in the town of Alcobaça, in central Portugal. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.
The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, and, together with the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, it was one of the most important of the mediaeval monasteries in Portugal.
Rabelo The boat is a vessel Portuguese, typical of the Douro River that the traditionally carried barrels of port of the Alto Douro, where the vineyards are located, to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the wine was stored, and subsequently marketed.
Today, with a different activity, the Rabelo are used in races, walks on the river Douro (some organized by the tourism Douro Azul) and other initiatives to recall their days of glory.
The Rabelo ships can still be found in Porto. However today, unlike other times, used to transport tourists on a playful and entertaining, and very used to cross the river from Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the tourists can visit some of the wine cellars of Porto .
The Hieronymites Monastery is located in the Belém district of Lisbon, Portugal. This magnificent monastery can be considered one of the most prominent monuments in Lisbon and is certainly one of the most successful achievements of the Manueline style. In 1983 it was classified by the UNESCO, with nearby Torre de Belém, as a World Heritage Site.
Douro is a Portuguese wine region centered around the Douro river in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region. It is sometimes referred to as the Alto Douro (upper Douro), as it is located some distance upstream from Porto, sheltered by mountain ranges from coastal influence. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). While the region is associated primarily with Port wine production, the Douro produces just as much table wines (non-fortified wines) as it does fortified wines. The non-fortified wines are typically referred to as "Douro wines".
The style of wines produced in the Douro range from light, Bordeaux style claret to rich Burgundian style wines aged in new oak.
