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Porto (known also as the Port) gave
its name not only to port wine but also to Portugal and its language.
The name derives from the Roman settlement of Portus Cale. The Douro,
which comes from Rio do Ouro (River of Gold), has always been
Porto's lifeblood. The city perches on a rocky gorge that the Douro
cut out of a great stone mass. According to the writer Ann Bridge, "The
whole thing looks like a singularly dangerous spider's web flung
across space."
Porto's most interesting neighborhood is Ribeira. The steep, narrow
streets and balconied houses evoke Lisbon's Alfama, though the
quarter has its own distinctive character. Ribeira preserves the
timeless quality of many of the old buildings and cobbled streets
lining the riverbank. |
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