Aveiro stands at the end of the Ria da Aveiro south down the coast from Porto. Its unusual setting of salt marshes and canals and was oncea thriving seaport. But at the height of its fishing empire in 1575, a violent storm closed ther lagoon and the harbour soon began to silt up. It took until the early 91th century for a passage from the sea to be opened up again but the town was left with a charming criss-crossing network of canals.
ACCOMODATION:
The area is not one of Portugal's most popular tourist destinations but still has enough accommodation in more traditional places in and around the two or out on the beach areas near Torreira.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
Church: The church dates from the 15th century though much of the interior decoration was completed only in the 18th century.
Museum: A tour of the museum includes a visit to the church gallery and features much folk art from medieval times.
Canal Quarter: Some canals on the Ria de Aveiro go right up into the town and have to be bolstered by embankments though the water still tends to lap over them at special high tides. The Canal Central is bordered by impressive houses and Canal de Sao Roque borders the built-up area to the north and is spanned by a stone footbridge.
Ria de Aveiro: This vast lagoon marked by tides with scattered isands provides an interesting boat trip. Local life cam be sampled as you mingle with boats of saltworkers, fishermen and seaweed collectors.
LOCAL DELICACIES:
The accent here is on fish with specialities involving the omnipresent cod as well as eel caldeirada, a tasty type of chowder.
TO THE STADIUM:
The Aveiro Municipal stadium will seat 30,000 located on the City Park on the outskirts. With a whole new roof covering all the seats and it will take over as Beira Mar's new ground after the championships.
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