The Portuguese venice

A wonderful opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful medieval castles of Portugal and the city of Aveiro.

The Castle of Santa Maria da Feira is the oldest building, located on Mount Santa Maria, in the town of Santa Maria de Feira that is perfectly preserved to this day and does not leave its visitors indifferent. The height of its walls allows you to see the neighborhood and take a fantastic photo. It is here in August, that a medieval festival is held, reviving old tradition. To be here during the time of the festival and finding yourself in this medieval village is certainly an experience of a lifetime. But even in a normal walk during the day will definitely ensure each tourist an unforgettable memory. After your stroll, buy a loaf of the traditional and delicious regional bread “fugaça”. The recipe is kept secret by the best bakers of the area.

The small town of Aveiro is located on the Atlantic coast just south of Oporto. It was mentioned for the first time in 959 under the Latin name Aviarium. Aveiro was also know was the “City on Water” and “Salt City” because it was here that all the necessary salt for Portugal and other countries of Northern Europe was mined. Among the above mentioned names, Aveiro was also known as the “The city of tiles” (as most of the facades of its houses were decorated with traditional Portuguese tiles “azulejos”) and as “The Portuguese Venice” because of the numerous channels from which the “Moliceiros boats” (barcos moliceiros) glide through – the moliceiros are traditional brightly painted boats with a highly curved stern. These boats are still used to transport algae from the lagoon which Portuguese farmers use to fertilize the poor soil.

Aveiro is famous for its traditional sweets “ovos moles” which means “soft eggs”. These are small and very sweet cakes made from egg yolks and sugar.