The monumental and artistic heritage of Porto city, the Port Wine, the traditional cafes, and restaurants, as well as the open-air leisure spaces and the cultural life are some of the good reasons to visit Porto. Read on.
Europe has voted and chosen Porto as the Best European Destination 2017. For the third time, Porto had the honor of being distinguished as the Best European Destination, the city has previously won this prestigious title in 2012 and 2014. If you don’t know the city, this is the perfect time to discover Porto and to get mesmerized by the city and its people.
Porto City – an Outstanding Urban Landscape with Over 2,000 Years of History
Built along the hillsides of the Douro river, the Porto city is an outstanding urban landscape with over 2,000 years of history. An ancient yet modern city that breaths culture and tradition combined with creativity and contemporaneity; and the architecture is the perfect example of that!
The historic center of the city was considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. From Juri’s point of view, “the site is of outstanding universal value as the urban fabric and its many historic buildings bear remarkable testimony to the development over the past thousand years of a European city that looks outward to the west for its cultural and commercial links.”
Historical and Cultural Heritage of This Beautiful Portuguese City
One of the historical buildings of the city is the Clérigos Tower, designed by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, with 76 meters, where visitors have to climb a spiral staircase with 240 steps to enjoy a breathtaking view over the whole city. The gorgeous monument includes a completely restored church, with beautiful gilded carvings, among other religious relics, and two museums.
São Bento Train Station is another main attraction where you can contemplate more than 2,000 hand-painted tiles, reflecting one of the most Portuguese traditional arts.
Modern and Contemporary Architecture
In contrast, Casa da Musica is the perfect example of modern and contemporary architecture that was designed by the prestigious Rem Koolhaas from the Rotterdam-based OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture). “Revealing all his proficiency and genius in this metamorphosis, Casa da Musica translates into a statement of style, an aesthetic convention, an iconic mark of the architect,” Casa da Musica Foundation.
The building was designed exclusively dedicated to music, either in public performances or in the field of artistic training and creation, reinventing the traditional concert hall while providing a truly unique experience.
From the outside, the building has a shoebox shape that some people have described as “something like a meteorite landed in the middle of the city” since it’s located on the city’s main avenue, Avenida da Boavista, that stretches for 7 km toward the sea.
Luxury Lighting and Furniture
Porto city also offers an excellent experience for design lovers that consists of a living showroom, which is constantly updated with the new products designed by the eight luxury brands that are under the umbrella of Covet House. So, you can enjoy an incredible design experience surrounded by luxury lighting and furniture designed by Boca do Lobo, DelightFULL, Koket, Brabbu, Essential Home, Luxxu, Maison Valentina, and Circu.
Source: https://www.covetedition.com/
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