Some talk of Porto as the city where the roots of Portugal’s history were put down. Not by chance Porto is an extremely rich site in cultural and historical terms. Though having an important population, Porto’s people are the responsible for keeping alive traditions from the past, something that you’ll better appreciate in the tiny neighborhoods and villages that enclose the city. It shouldn’t surprise you if a cutting-edge metro passes in front of you while the noisily clatter of an old tram fills the air with sounds from the past. After all, the real essence of Port lies in tiny things like this.
Faithful to its character as a provincial second city, Porto retains a distinctive flair that can be seen in any corner of the city. It’s not only the city that gave birth to the country and language’s name, but also a university city with a culture, traditions and artistic treasures of its own. Today, Porto is past as well as future. The traces of its history are incredibly intact in the city, mainly in Ribeira, Porto’s Old Section, and its drive towards the future is present in its strong urbanization, economy, investments, and hectic cultural life.
