Interesting Facts

A famous Porto proverb suggests that "Coimbra studies, Braga prays, Lisbon shows off and Porto works." True! Porto is where much of Portugal's wealth is generated.
Oh Say Can You Se? The Terreiro da Se, constructed in the twelfth century, is a cathedral and, for most of its time, served as a church and a fortress.
Porto's citizens are known as tripeiros or "tripe eaters." The name dates from 1415 when the city's entire stock of fresh meat was salted and given to the naval expedition setting out to capture the Moorish stronghold of Ceuta. The residents of the city were so generous, they kept only the tripe for themselves. Tripas continues to be a local favorite today.
Porto, also known as Oporto, is Portugal's second largest city and the capital of the north. The city has a population of over a million residents.
For hundreds of years, Porto has been associated with port, its internationally celebrated wine. Port is made by adding brandy to the wine in order to arrest the fermenting action of the sugar.
Porto is decorated with some fine and, often times, large azulejos. These typically blue and white tiles are seen in many of the structures around Porto. The largest and most intricate panel was created in 1912 by Silvestre Silvestri and covers the outside wall of the Igreja do Carmo.
Porto dominates the Douro Province. The Douro ("River of Gold"), Portugal's best-known river, defines the eastern border between it and Spain.
We're sitting on a gold mine! Well, not sitting, but if you visit the Igreja de Sao Francisco, you will see the nearly 100 kg of gold leaf that adorns the foliage and the numerous carved figures covering the altars, pillars and ceiling.
No trip to Porto would be complete without a trip across the Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia. This suburb hosts an excellent view of Porto and more than sixty port lodges.
Three bridges connect the riverbanks of the Douro. One, the Ponte Ferroviaria Maria, is a railway bridge that was designed by the French engineer, Eiffel!