Matosinhos Located next to Oporto, Matosinhos is, in spite of its industrial port and demographic HD, a region famous by its gastronomy, with seafood, and also popular by its coast, with infinity of small playitas, surrounded by rocks lowered by the sea.
The municipality also boasts of a valuable monument patrimony, visible like the Monastery of Leça do Bailio, the first headquarters of the Hospitable Horsemen of the Order of Malta in Portugal, with a church of the century XIV that conserves its elegant gothic arches and a gorgeous window in rosette form.
Closely together of the city of Matosinhos, the church of the Bom Jesus (“Good Jesus”) was reconstructed in century XVIII by famous architect Nicolau Nasoni, with an impressive gilded altarpiece and a statue of Christ, in wood, that is honest by means of a religious popular celebration every month of June.
In Leça it gives Palmeira, is worth the trouble to admire the Villa gives Conceição, where part of the old Convent of Our Lady of the Conception, century XVI has been recovered, integrating it to a splendid municipal park in which it has diverse facilities and equipment to the practice of sports and to enjoy the free time.
Leça also gives to Palmeira vainglory of a strength of century XVII and the light of Nova Boa (“the Good News”), near a restaurant and tearoom with Vista to the sea constructed by Siza Vieira, one of the more famous modern architects of Portugal.
The gastronomy of Matosinhos deserves its reputation and attracts many visitors who come to this traditionally fishing zone in search of excellent fish and seafood, where can taste specialties like caldeirada à fisherman (a rich one estofado of several types of fruits of sea), mexilhões à fashion of Leça (a delicious plate of mejillones), açorda of seafood (seafood with majado bread ripened with garlic and olive oil) or the rice of tamboril (rice of pejesapo), between so many others.
In Matosinhos it is possible to be contemplated the City council, that are one of the most representative works of Siza, and the Swimming pools of the Sea, where it is exposed the architecture clearly to the service of the nature, always remarcada by colors and forms. The House Ferreira gives Coast and the Coffee Boa Nova, shown to the Atlantic, is other examples of the vanguardista creativity of Siza.
But to know the work Alvaro Siza its splendor is necessary yet to go to Oporto. The recuesta city that on the right shore of the Duero, becoming that their secular houses turn upside down on the water. Oporto has known to renew and to offer something more to its visitors. It is impossible that somebody is left before the beauty of the bridge of Sunday Luis I indifferent or the Cathedral or the Tower of the Clergymen or… The list is interminable, including numerous churches, the Archiepiscopal Palace, the theater of Sao Joao and the rest of the wall. And it is that Oporto continues keeping the essence from its medieval past.