Porto - 20 Best Places to Visit in Portugal - page 6

History & Culture
Although settled by the Celts around 275 BC, the history of Porto as a city dates from the
4 th Century when it was an important commercial point between Braga and Lisbon for the
Romans. Invaded by the Moors in the mid-9 th Century, Count Vimara Peres established the
country of Portugal, using Porto to create the prefix 'Portu'. The city played host to the
marriage of Philippa of Lancaster and John I of Portugal in the 12 th Century, beginning the
world's oldest military alliance between England and Portugal.
Throughout the 14 th and 15 th Centuries, the city was an important shipping yard and it
was from the port of Porto that Prince Henry the Navigator set sail to Morocco, beginning
the Age of Exploration. Throughout the next three centuries, Porto grew into an economic
power, cemented by the establishment of the Duoro wine region in the early 18 th Century
which grew the wine trade. The city continued to grow and expand throughout the years
that followed, leading to it becoming a popular tourist destination.