Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To get a complete picture of Portugal, visit Porto—the capital of the north and the coun-
try's second city (with 238,000 residents and a sprawling metropolitan area that includes
1.7 million people). Porto, proud of the things that make it different, fiercely clings to its
long-standing rivalry with Lisbon...especially where soccer is concerned.
Porto (POR-toh) is less polished than Lisbon, but it's also full of Old World charm.
Houses with red-tiled roofs tumble down the hills to the riverbank, prickly church towers
dot the skyline, mosaic-patterned stones line streets, and flat-bottomed boats called
rabe-
los
ply the lazy river. The old town was spared the devastation of the great 1755 earth-
quake, and today is preserved as a World Heritage Site.
