Oporto and North

Oporto, a World Heritage city, is the great entry gateway, and can also be a starting point for a journey through the natural and cultural diversity of the region. It is known for its wine that leaves from here to the whole world, but also by the School of Architecture, from which came names such as Álvaro Siza Vieira and Souto de Moura, both Pritzker Awards, and for a heritage that knows how to combine the ancientness of churches and monuments, such as the Cathedral or the Church of St. Francis, with the contemporaneity of remarkable buildings, such as the House of Music, the Museum of Serralves and more. The Douro River crosses the region. Surrounded by mountains and natural parks, the heritage comprehends castles, such as Guimarães, or shrines and churches that in summer are the stage of pilgrimages. Next to rural hermitages we find the Baroque of northern Portugal, characterized by its works in granite and Talha dourada « gilded carved wood». In cities that knew how to preserve the human scale, such as Viana do Castelo, Braga, Lamego, Chaves or Vila Real, or in solar and manor houses, we find the most authentic Portuguese, those who genuinely like to receive, to share their table and traditions. In the Port and North of Portugal we live in a natural way the joy and gratitude for all that we have and all that we are.