Mercado do Bolhão

Oporto's colorful market Located in the heart of the city, this noisy and exuberant market is a sight not to be missed. Located in a two-tier covered building, it sells everything from fresh fruit to household goods. Especially entertaining is listening to the flamboyant fishwives hawking the latest catch in true Oporto spirit, an image that made this market famous all over Portugal.  Location: Rua Sá da Bandeira  Getting there: Metro - Bolhão station. Attractions Nearby Sao Bento Station  Avenida dos Aliados  Rua de Santa Catarina  Batalha Square  The Cathedral  Capela das Almas

casa da música THE BUILDING

photo-Ana Luandina

Imaginada para assinalar o ano festivo de 2001, em que a cidade do Porto foi Capital Europeia da Cultura, a Casa da Música é o primeiro edifício construído em Portugal exclusivamente dedicado à Música, seja no domínio da apresentação e fruição pública, seja no campo da formação artística e da criação.  O projecto Casa da Música foi definido em 1999, como resultado de um concurso internacional de arquitectura que escolheu a solução apresentada por Rem Koolhaas - Office for Metropolitan Architecture. As escavações iniciaram-se ainda em 1999, no espaço da antiga Remise do Porto na Rotunda da Boavista, e a Casa da Música foi inaugurada na primavera de 2005, no dia 15 de Abril.  Concebida para ser a casa de todas as músicas, integra- -se no processo de renovação urbana da cidade e numa rede de equipamentos culturais à escala metropolitana e mundial. É uma instituição que acolhe um projecto cultural inovador e abrangente e que assume a dinamização do meio musical nacional e internacional, nas mais variadas áreas, da clássica ao jazz, do fado à electrónica, da grande produção internacional aos projectos mais experimentais.  Para além de concertos, recitais e performances, a Casa da Música promove encontros de músicos e musicólogos, investindo na procura das origens da música portuguesa e apostando fortemente no seu papel de elemento nuclear na educação musical. Define-se também enquanto plataforma cultural aberta a cruzamentos entre a música e outras áreas de criação artística e de conhecimento, um espaço aberto a todos os públicos e a todos os criadores.

Casa da Música was conceived to mark 2001, the year in which Porto was Cultural Capital of Europe, and it is the first new building in Portugal to be entirely dedicated to music - to the presentation and public enjoyment of music, to music education and to the creation of music.  The project took shape in 1999 after the Rem Koolhaas & Ellen van Loon - Office for Metropolitan Architecture won the international architectural competition. Work began in 1999 on the site of Porto's former central tram garage on the Rotunda da Boavista, and Casa da Música opened its doors to the public on April 15th , 2005.  Casa da Música was planned as a home for all types of music and it is not only part of the urban redevelopment of Porto but also part of a network of cultural facilities, for the city of Porto and for the wider world. Underlying it is an innovative and wide-ranging cultural project, which aims to make an exciting contribution to the national and international music scene, as an arena for all types of musical events - from classical music to jazz, from fado to electronic music, from great international productions to more experimental projects.  Besides concerts, recitals and other types of performance, Casa da Música also organises events for musicians and musicologists and invests in research into the origins of Portuguese music. In addition, it plays a very important role in music education. It is a cultural meeting point between music and other areas of artistic creation and knowledge, providing a space for all kinds of audiences and creators.

Early History

Historic references to the city go back to the 4th century and to Roman times, althoughCeltic and Proto-Celtic remnants of ancient Citadels were found in the heart of where Porto now lies. In the Roman period the city developed its importance as a commercial port, primarily in the trade between Olissipona (Lisbon) and Bracara Augusta (nowadays Braga), but would fall under the Moorish Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711. In 868,Vímara Peres, a Christian warlordfrom Gallaecia and a vassal of the King of Asturias, Léon and Galicia, Alfonso III, was sent to reconquer and secure from the Moors the area from the Minho River to the Douro River, including the city of Portus Cale, later Porto and Gaia, from where the name and political entity of Portugal emerged (seePortucale). In 868 Count Vímara Peres established the First County of Portugal(Portuguese: Condado de Portucale), after the reconquest of the region north of the Douroriver.

In 1387, this city was the scene for the marriage of João I and Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, symbolizing the long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England, the world's oldest military alliance, which still holds via NATO.

In the 14th and the 15th centuries, the shipyards of Porto contributed to the development of the Portuguese fleet. In 1415, Henry the Navigator, son of João I, left from Porto to conquest the Muslim port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. This expedition led to the exploratory voyages that he later sent down the coast of Africa. Portuenses are referred to this day as "tripeiros", in reference to the fact that higher quality meat would be loaded onto ships to feed sailors, while off-cuts and by-products such as tripe would be left behind and eaten by the citizens of Porto. Tripe remains a culturally important dish in modern day Porto.