Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 222 054 837; Largo 1 de Dezembro; 9.30-noon & 3.30-6pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pm Sat, 10am-11am Sun)
East of
the Sé, this humbler (but not too humble) church was part of another Franciscan convent.
Gothic in shape, with a fine Renaissance portal, its interior is dense with elaborately gil-
ded woodwork.
THE AZULEJO HUNTER'S GUIDE TO PORTO
Porto has some stunning tilework, with a wide range of stories unfolding on the city's old walls. One of the
largest and most exquisite displays of
azulejos
(hand-painted tiles) covers the Igreja do Carmo. Silvestre Sil-
vestri's magnificent 1912 panel illustrates the legend of the founding of the Carmelite order.
Catarina 428; 7.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Mon, Tue & Sat, 7.30am-7pm Wed-Fri, 7.30am-1pm & 6-7pm Sun)
is a close second to Igreja do Carmo. Magnificent panels here depict scenes from the lives of various saints, in-
cluding the death of St Francis and the martyrdom of St Catherine. Interestingly, Eduardo Leite painted the tiles
in a classic 18th-century style, though they actually date back to 1929.
Hidden inside the Sé (
Click here
)
, on the upper storey of the cloister (reached via a Nasoni-designed stairway),
is Vital Rifarto's 18th-century masterpiece of a
zulejos
that lavishly illustrate scenes from the
Song of Songs
.
seems to have been imported straight from 19th-century Paris, thanks to its mansard roof and imposing stone
facade. But the dramatic
azulejos
in the front hall are the real attraction. Designed by Jorge Colaço in 1930, some
20,000 tiles depict historic battle scenes (including Henry the Navigator's conquest of Ceuta), as well as a history
of transport.
Bringing the art of the
azulejo
up to date, the modernist, polychromatic
Ribeira Negra
by Júlio Resende celeb-
rates life in the Ribeira district in a huge, tiled mural. Created in 1987, it's located at the mouth of the tunnel to
the lower deck of the Ponte de Dom Luís I.
City Centre
Rua Santa Catarina
STREET
Rua Santa Catarina is absurdly stylish and romantic with trim boutiques, striped stone
pavements and animated crowds. At its southern end it opens out onto the lovely, eclectic
GOOGLE MAP
( 222 004 366; Praça da Batalha; 3pm-6pm Mon, 9am-noon & 3-6.30pm Tue-Fri, 9am-noon &
3-8pm Sat, 9am-12.45pm & 6-7.45pm Sun)
with its twin bell towers, and the lavishly romantic
Teatro
Avenida dos Aliados
STREET
