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Pinto da Costa – The man who put FC Porto on the map
7 November, 2017 / ,

Although he once played football, it is not for scoring goals that makes him stand out in FC Porto. His vision for the club, the strategy he outlined and his strong leadership has made FC Porto one of the most prestigious clubs in the world.

Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa is not only adored by the fans of his club, who sing songs with his name during the games and affectionately call him “The Pope”. He is also the president with the most football titles won at the helm of a club: two Cups of Champions / Champions League, two Intercontinental Cups, two UEFA / Europa League Cups, one European Super Cup, 20 National Championships, 12 Portuguese Cups and 20 Super cups.

Since January 13, 2017 this year he is also the leader who has the longest tenure in the world superseding Santiago Bernabéu (former president of Real Madrid).

He was born in Cedofeita, Porto Downtown, on December 28, 1937, in a family of the upper bourgeoisie, more interested in culture than in sports. However, one of his uncles was already a feverish supporter of FC Porto and took him to see his first game of football in the Field of the Constituição. He would later become a club member and, after high school was no longer just a supporter, he engaged in the club management positions. He began to work in the section of roller hockey, went through boxing and other modalities.

His entry into the football department happened in 1976. In 1978 FC Porto became national champion, 19 years later. The club seemed to have begun a victorious cycle, but in 1980 Pinto da Costa disagreed with the management and moved away. In 1982 he applied for the first time to the leadership of the club and won with 95% of the votes. The rest is a success story.

During the 80’s, FC Porto gained national and international prestige; in the 90’s, they won for the first time five consecutive national titles. In the first decade of the 21st century, there were more titles, including the UEFA Cup in 2003 and the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 2004. The victories in football add to triumphs in other sports as well as important land leveling works: old Estádio das Antas, the construction of the Estádio do Dragão, Dragão Caixa and the FC Porto Museum.

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.

Pedro Burmester – A life at the piano
13 October, 2017 /

He has played the piano since his childhood, having a career at an international level and he is one of the mentors of Casa da Música. Pedro Burmester is one of the greatest icons of the Portuguese culture.

Born in Porto on October 9, 1953, Pedro Burmester studied for ten years with Helena Sá Costa (1913-2006), a renowned pianist, who in addition to a notable international career, also excelled in teaching. Burmester has been since an early age a prodigious student. His first concerts happening when he was only 10 years old

In 1981 he finished a Superior Course of Piano at the Porto Conservatory with full marks. Between 1983 and 1987 he was in the United States, where he worked with Sequeira Costa, Leon Fleisher and Dmitry Paperno. He also attended several master classes with pianists such as Karl Engel, Vladimir Ashkenazi, T. Nocolaieva and E. Leonskaja.

He has won prizes in several contests, such as the Moreira de Sá Prize, the 2nd Vianna da Motta Prize and the Special Jury Prize at the Van Cliburn Competition in the USA.

Throughout his career he has participated in all Portuguese music festivals and in international events around the world. In the late 90’s he toured Australia with the prestigious Australian Chamber Orchestra.

He collaborated with conductors such as Manuel Ivo Cruz, Miguel Graça Moura, Álvaro Cassuto, Omri Hadari, Gabriel Chmura, Muhai Tang, Lothar Zagrosek, Michael Zilm, Frans Brüggen and Georg Solti.

Pedro Burmester has a vast discography, including solo albums, but also has collaborated with other artists.

In December of 2013 he performed at Casa da Música in a recital edited in January of 2015. That same year he performed the five Concertos for piano and orchestra of Beethoven with the Symphony Orchestra of Porto Casa da Música.

He was Artistic and Education Director at Casa da Música, a project he helped create and implement. Nowadays, besides his artistic activity, he is a professor at Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (ESMAE) in Porto.

Fernando Távora – The Master of “Porto School”
3 March, 2017 /

He was one of the most renowned names in Portuguese architecture and the “father” of the so-called “Porto School”.

Born on August 25, 1923, in Porto, Fernando Távora was from a conservative family, descendant of the noble lineage of the Távoras. His first years of life were spent on family estates in Minho, in Bairrada and on the beaches of Foz do Douro. From an early age he showed a great aptitude for drawing and an avid interest in old houses. Contrary to the wishes of the family, who wanted him to study Civil Engineering, he enrolled at the Porto School of Fine Arts in 1941 to study Architecture.

He was a professor at institutions such as the School of Fine Arts of Porto (ESBAP), the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP) – which he helped establish – and at the University of Coimbra. Founder of the so-called “Escola do Porto”, he was one of the great influences of other great names of national architecture such as Siza Vieira.

In addition to several works that he designed, and which reflect creativity, functionality, but also social responsibility, he equally contributed in the area of ​​heritage conservation and restoration.

Fernando Távora died on September 3, 2005.

Some of the most emblematic works:

  • Municipal Market of Santa Maria da Feira
  • Tennis pavilion and outdoor arrangements at Quinta da Conceição, Matosinhos
  • Restoration and adaptation of the Convent of Santa Marinha and Pousada, Guimarães
  • General plan of the Urbanization of Guimarães
  • Remodeling and expansion of the National Museum of Soares dos Reis, Porto
  • Restoration and adaptation of the Palácio do Freixo and Pousada, Porto
  • Casa dos 24, Porto (Historic Town Hall)

Eugénio de Andrade
2 March, 2017 /

Eugénio de Andrade, one of the most translated Portuguese poets, kept a strong connection to Porto for much of his life.

Although he was born in Fundão, Eugénio de Andrade (whose real name was José Fontinhas), lived in Porto for more than 50 years, until his death on June 13, 2005. He arrived in Oporto in the 50’s. At that time and although he already had written works, his position was an administrative inspector of the Ministry of Health and it was for this reason, following a transfer that he came to live in the city. Later he would receive the title of honorary citizen.

Author of several works that earned him national awards and international distinctions, he was also a translator of works by authors such as Federico García Lorca and Jorge Luís Borges. Among the several poetic anthologies of which he was the author, the one dedicated to Porto (Daqui Houve Nome Portugal, 1968) stands out. Although he cultivated strong relations of friendship with other writers and artists, he was discreet. He did not like to give interviews or attend social and cultural events.

He lived for many years at 111 Rua Duque de Palmela, but from 1994 until his death he lived in the Casa Serrúbia, in Rua do Passeio Alegre, in Foz do Douro. This house would become the headquarters of the Eugénio de Andrade Foundation for some time. His manuscripts and other documentation are currently in the Special Collections Room of the Municipal Public Library of Porto.

Not far from here, in the Prado do Repouso Cemetery stands the tomb of Eugénio de Andrade: a white shallow marble grave, designed by his friend Siza Vieira, in which verses of his book “The Hands and the Fruits” are inscribed.

Citations:

“The wisdom of the poet is a second innocence”

“One word is like a note that looks for others for a perfect chord”