OPORTO:From its sardine-fuelled celebrations to its passion for soccer, Portugal's second city is always lively, writes GILLIAN IVORY
SOME TIME around the year 33 a gory event took place in Galilee. John the Baptist lost his head, on the orders of an incensed Herod, and then suffered the further indignity of having it presented to Salome on a platter. Almost 2,000 years later we are looking over the River Douro, where a spectacular fireworks display is being held in his name.
Oporto has a special fondness for St John the Baptist, known locally as São João, and ritualises his feast day with some serious revelry. It’s just past midnight, and rockets, fountains, starbursts and wheels are exploding all around us.
The open-air party started at about 9pm, as crowds poured into Praça da Ribeira, a square in the old town centre. People in Oporto enjoy a good party, and tonight they’re doing it aided by inflatable hammers, bashing each other indiscriminately. By midnight almost everyone is, or has been, in some way hammered, with beer being sold at €1 a go.
Nobody really seems to know where the bizarre hammering custom originated, and given that this festival has been celebrated since soon after the coming of Christ, you can’t help wondering what was used before the advent of plastic.
In any event, there’s more to this city than fortified wine, salted cod and pretty blue-and-white tiles. With a large part of the ancient town walls still protecting the old quarter, it is a place rich in history and steeped in culture.
Dissected by a meandering river, the historic centre to one side is a Unesco World Heritage site, with architecture spanning from the medieval through to the baroque and neoclassical. Opposite Ribeira, across the impressive Dom Luis Bridge, is Vila Nova de Gaia, where old port houses line the riverbanks. Think of Buda and Pest, or the Left and Right banks in Paris.
At this point we’ve been gorging nearly all day on barbecued sardines – a tastier and more satisfying custom – and I’ve even bought a couple of the basil plants that are for sale on every corner. Locals believe the herb will bring good luck in spheres from greater sexual prowess to sharper business acumen. An interesting idea, although the greenery is bound to be a little battered by the time we get back to the hotel.
At 2am the streets are still thronged and the music is still blasting from speakers lining Ribeira. People are navigating the river in rabelos, the boats once used to carry barrels of port from the vineyards of the Douro valley. It’s early by Oporto standards: the next move is to the nearby beach at Foz, to step up the party. Whether it’s the result of the full-bodied Douro wine, the hammering or the heady atmosphere, my head is swimming, the basil is wilting and the thought of a beach party just doesn’t cut it. Escaping back to the hotel, I sink into a deep slumber populated by starbursts and inflatable tools.
In addition to a reverence for Christian prophets, the people of Oporto have a thing for bridges. Perhaps it’s to do with the city’s history as the birthplace of Henry the Navigator, pioneer of Portuguese discoveries, and its proud position on the Douro. While Paris has the tower, Oporto has the first major work of Gustave Eiffel, the Maria Pia bridge. Visitors pile into boats and chug down the Douro to inspect these feats of engineering.
A journey on the river is the best way to get an overview of the two sides of town. In the historic centre around Ribeira tall, skinny buildings marshal the waterfront, fanning upwards into the hills behind. Some, such as the bishop’s palace, loom grandiose, white and gleaming; others are faded and peeling. Children play in the street, there’s always the noisy honking of car horns and the everyday paraphernalia and debris of city life are visible amid the houses.
It’s a city where the old and the new blend naturally, and where modern design has also taken a strong hold in popular culture. Casa da Música is a futuristic structure that opened its very angular doors in 2005 and is now a huge attraction for both residents and visitors. We were reluctant participants in a guided tour of the building, being believers in the DIY school of exploration, but given the detail contained within the asymmetrical corridors it was worth listening to the commentary.
“Disquieting and dynamic” are the words used by the Royal Institute of British Architects to describe the place, designed by the Pritzker-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas (the very chic restaurant is named Kool). Dynamic it is, with stark concrete contrasting with luxurious velvet across the eight overground and three underground floors. Within the walls of rippled glass they stage everything from orchestral concerts to jazz, traditional fado and contemporary electronic events.
At this stage we’ve caught the bug for modern composition and are told that the Serralves Museum is the one place that no one should miss. It seems that only Pritzker-winning architects are allowed to build these days in Porto. In the case of this minimalist building, which houses the city’s contemporary art museum, it is the native Álvaro Siza who is responsible for the striking white formation, where all exhibitions are temporary. The surrounding parkland is soothing after a few days in Oporto’s busy centre, and the pink art-deco building in the grounds is an extra surprise during an afternoon wander.
Besides sweet liquor, monolithic bridges and cutting-edge design, Oporto is a city of proud futbolistas, whether FC Porto or Boavista inclined. Men rarely miss an opportunity to declare an allegiance or demonstrate a move, and an afternoon at Estádio do Dragão, where FC Porto are based, just northeast of town, is more like a visit to a microcity than to a stadium. A commercial centre and a residential area are all part of the package. The place is electric – buzzing with life, love, hook turns and dribbles.
More than anything, I’m struck by the almost old-fashioned courtesy of the people here. I’ve found the Portuguese to be a polite nation, at times even overly formal. The northerners bear out the rule, with few of the rough edges often seen in port cities. They certainly know how to party, though.
www.visitportoandnorth.com, www.portoturismo.pt, www.visitportugal.com
Go there
Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus. com) flies to Lisbon, about three hours by car from Oporto, from Dublin and Cork. Ryanair (www.ryanair. com) flies to Oporto from Ireland via London Stansted, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.
5 places to stay
Hotel Infante de Sagres. Praça D Filipa de Lencastre 62, 00-351-22-3398500, www.hotelinfantesagres.pt. Classical five-star luxury close to the city centre. Look out for the beautiful stained-glass windows.
Pestana Porto Hotel. Praça da Ribeira 1, 00-351-22-3402300, www.pestana.com. Four-star hotel with a traditional yellow facade houses corner balcony suites overhanging the river with a view of Vila Nova de Gaia’s port houses.
AC Porto. Rua Jaime Brasil 40, 00-351-22-5072650, www.ac-hotels.com. Just outside of town, the AC Porto is design chic, located in the Antas neighbourhood by the FC Porto stadium.
Residencial dos Aliados. Rua Elísio de Melo, 00-351-22-2004853, www.residencialaliados.com. Small and central hotel gives a taste of the baroque, housed in a historic building.
Grande Hotel do Porto. Rua Santa Catarina 197, 00-351-22-2076690, www.grandehotelporto.com. Three-star hotel with a Victorian-style facade is 100m from Bolhão market and close to the cathedral on the pedestrianised Rua Santa Catarina.
5 places to eat
Dom Tonho. Cais da Ribeira 13-15, 00-351-22- 2004307, www.dtonho.com. Upmarket place to eat on the riverfront, with the best seafood you’ll find in Porto.
Solar Moinho de Vento. Rua Sá de Noronha 81, 00-351-22-2051158, www.solarmoinhodevento.com. Serves local specialities – the fish soup is inspiring.
Mal Cozinhado. Rua do Outeirinho à Ribeira, 00-351-22-2081319, www.malcozinhado.home. sapo.pt. Restaurant with traditional fado singing.
Café-Restaurante Guarany. Av dos Aliados 89/85, 00-351-22-3321272, www.cafeguarany.com. Good food in atmospheric surroundings. Local musicians often perform over dinner.
Kool. Av da Boavista, 00-351-22-6092876, www.restaurantekool.com. The restaurant at the famous Casa da Música, with an atmosphere appropriate to the name.
5 places to go
A 50-minute cruise with views of the city and bridges. Boats leave every half hour between 10am and 6.30pm from the Rota do Douro quay, close to Sandeman Cellars (www.rotadodouro.pt).
Taste port at its birthplace, from white and red through to ruby and tawny. You can visit each of the major port houses on foot in Vila Nova de Gaia.
A wander through the historic centre reveals the different styles of architecture, with some of the best features that baroque has to offer. Don’t miss the cathedral, the bishop’s palace and the churches of São Francisco and Santa Clara.
Bolhão market, at Rua Sá da Bandeira, sells everything from fruit to souvenir tiles; it’s a buzzing part of city life.
Art galleries have sprung up all over Rua Miguel Bombarda, with some interesting shops nearby.
Where to shop
Rua de Santa Catarina is the place to shop. The pedestrianised street is lined with boutiques and high-street stores. Remember, if you are on a weekend break, that shops in the city are closed on Sundays.
Hot spot
Bar Indústria. Centro Comercial de Foz, Avenida do Brasil 843, 00-351-22-6176806. Upmarket nightclub on the seafront in Foz.