Adeus Viana do Castelo

It was our last day in Viana do Castelo. We stayed much longer than we originally intended and we loved every minute  - this incredible little town has it all.

The town is  a mix of historic museums, buildings, churches and little winding lanes that open into quiet squares with convenient panaderia shops tempting you to the famed Pastel de nata. The streets are clean, mostly quiet,  there are  lovely trees and gardens and it has a relaxed pace of life.  The mountains hug the town and with the river and the sea there's any number of hikes or water sports to be had. It might be cold in winter but in spring it's perfect!

We timed it just right to visit the Igreja da Misericórdia de Viana do Castelo (or Casa das Varandas)  in the Praca de Republica. It was built in 1589 and as impressive as it is on the exterior ( see previous blog post pic),  the interior is pocket-rocket amazing with over the top renaissance style and  Italian and Flemish influences.

While the exterior boasts several floors and verandahs,  the interior felt  intimate, albeit with an abundance of opulent decoration. The beautiful blue and white glazed tiles,  so typically Portuguese,  and the ceiling frescos were breathtaking. 

Some areas were off limits but I managed a cheeky 'around the corner' glimpse. 

The detail in the  gilded carvings was stunning. They had several religious paintings on display too. 

The curator taking the €2.00 entry fee stated it was unquestionably one of the finest examples of Baroque style in the whole of Portugal. I believe him, we're so glad we got to see this highlight on our last day. 

To complement all the fabulous sightseeing Viana  has wonderful food options too. With the sea so close by and the verdant alluvial  fields alongside the banks of the Ria Lima - the local  restaurants make the most of all the fresh produce.  

We sampled a few portions of local clams and garlic olive bread  - it was all pretty good 👍. We'll miss the fabulous Avenida  Viana Boutique Suites, if you're ever in Viana book there, it's great. 

Vila Franca - Festa das Roses

Today we were extremely fortunate as our host drove us to the small village of Villa Franca and  a church that had the most spectacular festival of roses.  This is absolutely unique,  I guarantee you've never seen anything like it.

The roses and flowers are displayed atop a large, and I mean large, basin/tub/urn. The sides of the basin are hand decorated with flower petals and florist pins. As you looked really closely the detail involved was revealed, the artistry and the patience involved in creating these masterpieces is incredible. 

From what I  could tell most of the decorations told a story that progressed around the circumference of the display urn. Truely mind boggling the detail involved.  Along with the floral displays, the church was also festooned with roses of every colour and hue.

If you click on the photo above and  zoom in on the urn  you will see the size they are as you reference the photographer in the background.

Our host's wife grew up in this village and when she was a young girl they would walk in the festival parade with similar, but smaller, flower baskets on their heads through the streets to the church.

 

All the  arrangements used fresh flowers and foliage / greenery  from local sources.

The graveyard is also decorated with so many stunning floral tributes - sweetheart roses, orchids, protea, bamboo stalk, gypsophila, lillies...a floral extravaganza.

Outside the church there were many family groups sitting in the shade of trees with picnics and later in the day there was to be music, a parade and fireworks.

We were thrilled to have been shown this truely  unique and spectacular fiesta and grateful  to our host for taking time out of his busy day to drive us there and back. A memory to treasure.

Praca de Republica

How lucky were we to stumble upon a cultural festival in the Praca de Republica?  It was a real fiesta atmosphere with a band, traditional food stalls and of course singing and dancing. The square is the heart of Viana with museums and key municipality functions housed in architectural gems. Most buildings date back to the 16th century. 

Unfortunately for us the chafariz/fountain was being restored but we did  the magnificent Misericordia e Igreja, church boasting renaissance architecture from 1589.

The cultural revival group had gorgeous traditional dress and jewellery and little clog shoes that sounded terrific when they danced.

While the ladies were dancing the men were either playing in the band or selling their home baking, what looked like a distilled  spirit from a big old barrel and speciality breads. 

Although there was a fair bit of man talk in huddles.

The ladies skirts looked gorgeous when they were twirling, so colourful and all in the most gorgeous setting. (Remember you can click on the pics to zoom in 👍)

Absolutely perfect day for such a stunning performance. The town of Viana do Castelo is in full swing for the start of the season. It's so fantastic we're staying another night!

Viana do Castelo 10- 12 May

Viana's a charmer! Last time we were here we had walked for hours in the rain and as we crossed the famous two level historic Eiffel bridge all we could think of was getting  our shoes off and hot showers. What a difference a sunny day makes! As we came  into town we noticed the spectacular Scared Heart of Jesus temple high up on a hill on the edge of the town.  We didn't even see this from a distance last time.

With the sun out there was exploring to be done.  As we wandered into town through quiet residential streets we found those gorgeous exterior house tiles in abundance, houses looked like doll house creations, only life size.

After dropping our packs we set off for that temple on the hill and rather than climb 700+ steps we opted for the funnicula.

Elevador de Santa Luzia takes you up to the  Temple of Santa  Luzia. It's the longest and steepest funicular in Portugal and totally worth whatever we paid in euro for the 7 minute ride. The ticket seller was all brusque and I think totally didn't give me the correct change but hey ho, all part of the adventure. I did notice at the top funnicula station the return the price was clearly marked so no fudging it. I did try to catch the ticket seller at the lower station on our return but he wouldn't meet my eye....hmmm.

More than three centuries ago there was a humble chapel overlooking the town. Now a remarkable granite temple sits proudly stop the hill with spectacular views. 

You could see for miles from that elevation, down to the river and the double deck Eiffel bridge and further  down the Portuguese coast from where we had been walking for several days. Time for a look inside the temple.

Spectacular double domes and rose windows but as a newer church, just a few hundred years old, it was surprisingly simple inside. 

So glad we decided to have a rest day or two here. Only staying one night last time we missed the gorgeous village squares, the sculptures and the stunning gothic renaissance churches. 

Viana is famed for its gold filigree work and it's in abundance in many of the churches which really act as museums to superb artists and craftsmanship over the centuries.

The city is festooned with flowers to celebrate May and spring and the garden beds are fit to burst in the squares, it's gorgeous.

Viana has the unique combination of the river, the sea and the mountains. So naturally the river and port required a visit. 

Lots of mullet in the marina and a good sized fishing fleet.

Viana had a shipbuilding history and the Gil Eanes Hospital Ship tied up at the wharf is now a museum. Originally built in Viana to support the cod fishing industry it's now a top tourist attraction.

The Monument to the 25th of April or  Statue of Liberty, is tribute  to the people of Viana do Castelo  who fought for freedom in the carnation revolution of 1974.

It's pretty impressive, zoom in and you may be able to make out the 40 water jets  in front that represent the 40 parishes of Viana and the chains under the arch. The chains symbolise the lack of freedom that existed before the revolution.