Arts, Culture and Heritage

Festival of the Crosses and the Castle in Monsanto

Tuesday, 01 March 2011 00:00

Every year the ancient village of Monsanto host the venerable on early May.

One of the most symbolic traditions of Monsanto is the Festival of the Holy Cross, held in May, to commemorate the resistance to a long history of sieges: the women carry to the top of the castle typical rag-dolls (known as "marafonas") and clay jars, full of flowers, are thrown from the walls. The festival dates back to 2^nd century BC when Roman troops had the population of the village besieged in the castle for six years. Out of food, the population tossed the last of its supplies from the walls to show the Roman’s that they had plenty more, or to tried to fool them into thinking that was the case- and it worked!

In 1938 Monsanto was voted the "most Portuguese village in Portugal" nestled on the slope of a steep hill (the Monsanto head, known in Latin as Mons Sanctus), which rises abruptly above the plains and reaches a height of 2486 feet. Nothing is typical about Monsanto a village built around impressively big and balanced granite boulders.

First Iberian tourist route is born in Foz Côa

Tuesday, 01 March 2011 00:00

On Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 10:30am, the Museum of Art and Archeology of the Côa Valley in Foz Côa presents the "Heritage Route of the International Douro/Duero." This is also the date that marks the classification of the Alto Douro Wine Region and the Historic Centre of Guimarães as World Heritage. The "Heritage Route of the International Douro/Duero" links 11 classified locations (Alto Douro Vinhateiro, Centro Histórico do Porto, Centro Histórico de Guimarães, Parque Arqueológico do Vale do Côa, Ávila, Atapuerca, Burgos, Las Médulas, Salamanca, Siega Verde, and Segóvia). Its objective is to reach international fame as a tourist attraction. Additionally, the route aims to protect and promote the values and cultural and natural resources of the classified locations that hold much touristic value. Nineteen different institutions have representatives participating in this movement. Among them are all the entities that manage classified locations and materials, as well as the Junta de Castilla y León and its tourism authorities, the Tourism of Portugal the Regional Tourism Authority of North Port and the Douro Tourism Cluster, the Steering Committee and Regional do Norte (CCDR-N) and Fundación Rei Afonso Henriques (FRAH), who organized the project.

International arts conference in Lisbon

Wednesday, 16 February 2011 00:00

"Creators on Others’ Work” is the central theme of the 2nd CSO’2011 International Conference, an event which will turn Lisbon into a hub for professional artists and creators specializing in a range of visual arts disciplines. Scheduled for April 2011 at the Fine Arts School at the University of Lisbon, the congress will centre on artists’ interpretation of their colleagues’ work.  The meeting will focus on the work of the Iberian artistic community, with Portuguese, Spanish, Galician and Catalan being the main languages spoken.

New national monuments

Saturday, 12 February 2011 00:00

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation park and head office, the Sagrado Coração de Jesus Church and the Botanical Gardens, located in the Portuguese capital, as well as the Aljubarrota battlefield and surrounding area, have become new national monuments in the Lisbon region.
The Gulbenkian Foundation that now enjoys the status of national monument is leading architectural work both nationally and internationally. A Valmor Award winner in 1975, it was designed by architects Ruy Athouguia, Alberto Pessoa, Pedro Cid, Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles Barreto, and Antonio Viana. The Sagrado Coração de Jesus Church, on Avenida da Liberdade, is a landmark building of 20th century Portuguese architecture and Valmor Architectural Award winner in 1975. The Science Faculty Botanical Gardens is known for its development and teaching of natural sciences, especially botany. Opened in 1878, this garden features several tropical species, from New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and South America, hosting one of the most valuable collections of botanical species in Portugal. The Battle of Aljubarrota, fought between the Portuguese and Spaniards on a plateau between Boutaca Bridge, in the Batalha municipality to the north, and Chão da Feira, Porto de Mos municipality to the south, represents a decisive moment in Portugal's affirmation as an independent kingdom