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Cooperativa Árvore – A house that breathes art
2 March, 2018 / , ,

In an old noble house in the 60s, near Passeio das Virtudes and with a stunning view over the Rio Douro, Árvore – Cooperative of Artistic Activities was born as a space for the disclosure of art, idealized by Porto’s greatest names in art.

Árvore was founded in 1963 by artists, writers, architects and intellectuals, highlighting Master José Rodrigues, sculptor and author of the famous Ribeira Cube.  He, along with Armando Alves, Pulido Valente and Ângelo de Sousa, got together in an abandoned quinta and began the recovery of the building, adapting it to its new cultural functions.

The gallery and the auditorium were inaugurated in 1971. Despite having been through hardships, which, for instance, forced some of its estate’s artistic work to be auctioned, Árvore survived and has undeniably pronounced the artistic panorama of the city of Porto.

The institution has an intense cultural agenda with exhibitions, conferences, lectures and talks, workshops, competitions, book editing and art installations.  Its purpose is to produce, promote and sell artistic and editorial works, and the development and information of members and the general public in the areas of visual art, the study of art and other areas of production. In the past few decades it welcomed colloquiums, cinema cycles, theatre and music and it presented the work of hundreds of painters, sculptures, photographers, designers and architects. In addition to the exhibitions, you can visit the store, the offices of screen-printing techniques, engraving, lithograph and ceramic (booking in advance required) and enjoy an unrivaled view to the Douro from your garden.

The House
José Pinto de Meireles ordered the construction of the Árvore building, which was concluded in 1763. The family crest can still be seen on the front door. The quinta and the gardens were constructed so those who went by the Rio Douro could see them.

Today, they are a privileged viewpoint and a very enjoyable place to spend a late afternoon, especially in the summer.

Exhibitions to see at Árvore:

  • 23rd February to 3rd April– Emerenciano + Helena Jalles

 

Information:

Rua Azevedo de Albuquerque, 1, Porto

Schedule

Monday to Friday: 9.30-20:00

Saturday – 15:00-19:00

Closed: Sundays and bank holidays

 

 

 

12 REASONS TO BUY PORTO.CARD
9 January, 2018 / ,

Find out why Porto.CARD may be your best buy for 2018!

 

1 – Attractive price

It is possible to buy the pedestrian Porto.CARD from 6 € and if you opt for the digital version, you only pay 5.70 €. Moreover, is it advantageous to buy a one day card without access to public transport? Here’s an example: on the 1-day cruise ticket on the Douro you get a discount of up to 20%. In fact you save more than € 10.00 on the price of the card.

 

2 – With or without public transport

Porto.CARD exists with the option of having public transportation or not. This pedestrian version is an excellent option for those who already have a car or want to rent a car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc. Everything is available in Porto.CARD. If so, you can get discounts of up to 57% of SABA car parks.

 

3 – Unlimited free access to public transport

If you choose to use public transport, in any of the different choices with transportation from € 13, (1, 2, 3 and 4 days), you have unlimited access to all Metro lines without restriction, as well as on the bus lines of STCP and urban CP Trofa-Valongo-Espinho. What you cannot forget is to validate your Andante Tour ticket whenever you change lines and / or transport.

 

4 – Diversified cultural and tourist attractions

Porto.Card offers you the most current and diversified cultural and tourist attractions: from museums to monuments, tourist circuits (by foot, by car, bicycle, motorcycle, minibus, classic car, boat, sailboat, helicopter, segway, tuk tuk, and rickshaw), there are umpteen ways to get around Porto with generous discounts. Restaurants and shops are among the more than 170 points of interest to discover in Porto.CARD

 

5 -Ease and convenience when shopping

Did you know that you can buy the Porto.CARD in advance at short.visitporto.travel/portocard, at the Official Tourist Offices or at the Nova Câmbios (New Currency Exchange) office at Porto Airport? You can also buy the Porto.CARD digital at buyportocard.visitporto.travel or on the app (Porto Card – Official City Pass) and start using your card as soon as you arrive at your destination. There are several options for your trip: Metro, STCP buses or the reservation of a transfer with discount from Porto.CARD. Just choose the most convenient option!

 

 

5 – Restaurants with a variety of cuisine types

In Porto.CARD you will find restaurants from traditional cuisine to signature cuisine, the latter awarded with a Michelin star. Obviously, the traditional “Francesinha” is present in three specialty restaurants, as well as other types of cuisine. Discounts up to 15%

 

6 – A world of tourist circuits

Did you know that with the Porto.CARD you get discounts on more than 80 tourist circuits, which include trips to Porto, to the Douro River and Minho? Day or Night Tours? Panoramic bus or cable car? From Gastronomy to literature? Contemporary architecture or the Historic Center? What becomes difficult is the choice. Discounts up to 25%

 

7-The most authentic way to learn about Port Wine

With Porto.CARD you have the opportunity to tour the 9 Port Wine Cellars, get to know their history and to taste this internationally acclaimed wine. The card offers you one cellar with free entrance and on the remaining cellars your discount can reach 30%, from November to March.

 

8- Families with children

There are many places to visit with family and to entertain the little ones with discounts of up to 50%. Take the time to relax or have fun with the kids while saving a lot of money.

 

9-For the romantic tourist

If you are looking for romanticism in Oporto this is the city of choice. With Porto.CARD you have the most romantic places to visit, to enjoy good gastronomy and to shop and surprise those who you most love! Discounts up to 20%

 

10 – For the youth

Activities for young people are present in Porto.CARD.  There are many options for the younger travelers who seek challenges! From surf lessons, Jet Boating, Cannoning, Rafting to jeep trails in the Douro and Gerês national Park.

 

11- Modalities adapted to different needs

The Porto.CARD exists in 8 modes: 1, 2, 3 and 4 days, with or without transport, which allows you flexibility in choosing the most convenient card. Being the official card of the city offers you security and confidence.

 

12- Personalized advice at tourist offices

If you choose to buy Porto.CARD at the official tourist offices, you will be personally attended to by attendants who know the city very well and are able to advise the best solutions and options for your enquiry. Be sure to visit us and be pleasantly surprised!

Port Wine: A Christmas Tradition
5 December, 2017 / ,

In Portugal, Christmas is always a good excuse to drink, buy or gift someone with Port Wine. Visiting the Port Wine Cellars is the best way to have the best wines, at the table or on the Christmas shopping list.

The diversity is great and each type of Port wine is suitable for specific dishes and specific moments, as it is best way to know this wine well, because only then will you be able to enjoy it in its plenitude.

The best place to learn everything about Port Wine are the cellars, located in Vila Nova de Gaia. It was there that, until the last century, the Rabelo boats, coming from the Douro estates with kegs of wine, were docked and stored. In these enormous warehouses located by the river where light and humidity help the taste, color and texture of the wine can be perfected.

Today, the cellars are must see places for those who visit the city of Porto. In addition to getting to know the complete history of Port Wine and the journey made by the grapes from the Douro to the moment they arrive in your glass, you will also have the opportunity to taste and buy various types of wine.

We highly recommend a visit to the Ferreira cellars and the Sandeman Celllars.

 

CELLARS

Ferreira

 

 

Avenida Ramos Pinto, 70, Vila Nova de Gaia

Hours: 10h00 – 12h30 / 14h00 – 18h00

 

 

 

Classic Visit | Price € 10 pax:

Visit to the Cellars, including the Room of the Belongings of Dona Antónia and the Museum, with two Port Wine tasting.

Visit Dona Antónia | Price € 20 pax:

Visit for small groups, with extensive wine tasting and a selection of 5 Port Wines, in a reserved area.

Visit Casa Ferreirinha | Price € 14 pax:

Visit to the Caves, with three Douro Wines Casa Ferreirinha DOP winetasting, producer of the famous Barca Velha.

 

Sandeman

 

 

Largo Miguel Bombarda, 3, Vila Nova de Gaia

Opening Hours:

Every day | 09h30 – 12h30 / 14h00 – 17h30

 

 

 

Classic Visit | Price € 10 pax:

Guided tour with wine tasting of two Reserved Porto wines

Visit 1790 | Price € 20 pax:

A guided tour that begins at the Sandeman Museum and ends with a wider winetasting of Port wine at 1790

Visit “100 Years of Old Tawnies” | Price 40 € pax:

A visit to discover the long tradition of Sandeman in the aging and blend of Port Wines. At the end of your visit, a comprehensive winetasting of a century of Tawnies – tasting of 10, 20, 30 and 40 years – in a reserved and intimate area that also houses the Sandeman Antique Bottles Collection.

Visit Premium | Price 13 € pax:

A guided tour of the Sandeman Cellars, with winetasting of three superior wines (White, Ruby and Tawny).

Points of interest:

Sandeman bottle collection – more than 60 samples of handmade English bottles from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Suggestions by Joaquim de Almeida
6 November, 2017 / , , ,

With a career spanning almost 40 years and more than 100 films and television series, Joaquim de Almeida is the most famous Portuguese actor in the world. He lives in the USA, where he worked for the most part of his career, but spends some periods of the year in Portugal.

He was born in Lisbon in March of 1957, being the sixth of eight children to a couple of pharmacists. His career, however, would turn out to be another and, still very young, chose to pursue the profession of actor. When the Conservatory of Lisbon was temporarily closed due to the upheaval caused by the revolution of April 25, he moved to Vienna to continue studying. At that time he landed a job as a gardener.

In 1976 he went to New York to study acting with Lee Strasberg, Nicholas Raye and Stella Adler, while working in a bar. His first major role came in “The Soldier” in 1981, but it was “Good Morning Babylon” that launched him into an international career that has not stopped since. He has worked with actors such as Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Antonio Banderas, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh, Benicio del Toro or Kiefer Sutherland.

As a guest star on TV shows such as “CSI Miami” or “Bones” – where he often plays the role of a Latino villain – he has also appeared regularly in other series, such as “24”, “Queen of the South” or “Training Day.” Simultaneously, he continues to work with Portuguese filmmakers and actors, achieving box office successes and winning several awards and distinctions.

 

Best bar

On a more cultural level, I suggest Maus Hábitos. To go out late at night, any day of the week, Casa do Livro.

Best Restaurant

It is difficult to choose one. Thus, there are three:  Oficina of chef Marco Gomes or the LSD of the chef João Lupo and also the less known Paparico, perhaps the biggest secret to eat well in Porto

Romantic Site and Tour

Sail the Douro River on the boat that was built for the 60th birthday of Queen Elizabeth of England. Spend two nights in cozy rooms and enjoy first class service. September and October is the best time to do so.

Secret of the City

It is the view that one has from the space of the Cooperativa Árvore. How beautiful it is to see the Douro from there, spend the afternoon between a wine and a snack … Very close to the center and yet, still so unknown to the people of Porto.

Cinema returns to Downtown
13 March, 2017 / ,

Cinema Trindade, in the center of Oporto, receives spectators again after the closure 16 years ago.

With the appearance of the large cinemas in shopping centers, downtown traditional cinemas lost audiences and eventually had to close their doors. A trend that has reversed now, with the reopening of Cinema Trindade and other ongoing projects.

This imposing cinema was inaugurated in 1916, with the designation “Salão Jardim Trindade”. In addition to a room with more than a thousand seats, it had an outdoor cinema terrace. This now reopened space, has adapted to modern times, with two cinema rooms separated by a foyer: one with 183 seats, the other with 168 seats. The former focuses on the cinema of authors and the latter will be a space for festivals, programmers or independent filmmakers.

The return of the cinema to the city centre will have its high point when Cinema Batalha begins to welcome the future House of the Cinema, a place that, besides showing movies, will also have a space for research. The opening is expected to take place in 2018. The Cinema Passos Manuel, next to the Coliseum, will also be modernized.

Rua do Almada 412, Porto

fotos: Miguel Nogueira/CM Porto

 

Cathedral of Porto: the gem of the city
6 March, 2017 / ,

The Porto Cathedral began to be built in the twelfth century, but over the centuries it received influences of the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo periods.

Just the architecture of the Cathedral of Porto is sufficient to be considered one of the jewels of the city. The Gothic initial construction, conspicuous in the cloister and the Chapel of São João Evangelista, together with the singularity of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and its silver altar. The Baroque of the eighteenth century is present in the frescos of the chancel and sacristy, by Nicolau Nasoni, and in the tiles of the cloister.

The interior of the cathedral is a real treasure, with invaluable furniture, consisting of tables and sinks in rare marble, the mirrors trims, cabinets and a black wood clock in Rococo style.

Outside, the patio of the cathedral is surrounded by the buildings of the Cathedral, the canon house, Episcopal Palace and Town Hall. It is one
of the privileged viewpoints in the city. From that point it is possible to behold the area of Barredo, the River Douro and the city of Gaia.

Avenida dos Aliados – Porto’s living room
3 March, 2017 / ,

It is the heart of the city, where heads of state are received, victories are celebrated and important dates such as New Year or St. John are commemorated.

In fact, the space that is commonly known as Avenida dos Aliados and includes Praça da Liberdade (south) and General Humberto Delgado Square on the north side where the City Hall is located. The central location and its dimensions are ideal to welcome thousands of people, being therefore the chosen place to celebrate great moments of the city.

Granite predominates in the buildings, many of them true works of art built during a golden age of Porto. Plans to make this place a public square go back to the seventeenth century, but it would take several years before the works progressed. The agricultural fields gave way to more modern streets, but it would only be in the nineteenth century for this place to become the political, economic and social center of the city. Cafes and taverns occupied a space which later was replaced by banks and offices and today, in addition to terraces and restaurants, it also houses hotels and shops, as well as statues and sculptures that contrast with the water reflection and granite pavement of recent construction.

The works of the avenue began in 1916, with the demolition of the previous municipal buildings. The new City Hall results from a project of the architect Correia da Silva dating back to 1920, but the installations were only completed in the 50’s.

However, in the 21st century, due to the construction of an underground station in the Aliados, the space would once again be remodeled in a project by the architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura.

Pérola Negra: vintage nights in the heart of Baixa
19 February, 2017 / ,

Pérola Negra regains the spirit of the 80s and 90s nights in a space that has an aesthetic “retro”, burlesque and where fun is guaranteed.

It is one of the latest nightlife venues in the city of Porto. Pérola Negra, which for more than 40 years served as a nightclub for male audiences, and has maintained the decoration where dark wood predominates, the walls with mirrors and red-lined benches around a dance floor with stage and crystal ball.

Today it is a place of diversion for several generations, located downtown and, therefore, ideal for a well-spent night. In addition to this new concept of “a space for everyone”, Pérola Negra also focuses on recovering the spirit of the nights of the 80’s and 90’s, when the night began with the opening of the dance floor, with smoke effects and a specific song. Then, as the hours pass, the music changes to more recent songs and the dance floor is overrun with the latest dance music hits.

Rua de Gonçalo Cristóvão 284, Porto

Information / Booking  tel:-935200913

Fantasporto: fantastic cinema at the Rivoli
19 February, 2017 / ,

Between February 20 and March 4, the Porto-Fantasporto International Film Festival will be showing 132 films from 35 countries, including world premieres.

Ranked among the top 10 independent festivals in the world, Fantasporto is part of the city’s cultural tradition. The 37th edition presents the best selection of fantastic and contemporary cinema in the form of long and short films, animation and experimental cinema.

The official opening will begin with The Age of Shadows by Jee-woon Kim. The world premiere will be “TheEvilWithin” (USA), the only film directed by the late Andrew Getty. Award-winning films were also selected from Cannes, Locarno, Venice and Toronto.  Retrospectively, the Taiwanese Action Cinema and a selection of modern Argentine cinema are highlighted.

One of the novelties of this year will be the “Mini Me” section, dedicated to children and pre-adolescent audiences. Apart from all this, the program also includes conferences, workshops and an exhibition.

Teatro Municipal Rivoli, Porto

Tickets: 5 euros (except for the opening and closing sessions)