Porto and the North

I think the term ossuary somewhat flatters what we see here in the São Francisco Catacombs in Porto. This is more of a bone pit which looks like it has been cremated at least once.

This is where many of the hoi-polloi of Porto were interred, unlike their wealthier neighbours who had family tombs. This rather macabre scene can be viewed through a grill in the floor in the catacombs - it is something of a contrast to the sumptuous gold-gilded interior of São Francisco church next door.

The Igreja Paroquial de São Pedro de Miragaia (Parish church of St Peter) in Porto. This attractive Baroque church sits at the foot of Rua de Tomás Gonzaga, close to the river in a small square named after Saint Peter - the patron saint of fishermen.

This incarnation of the church dates back to the 18th century but the site is actually one of the oldest in Porto with several previous churches occupying the space.

The catacombs that lie beneath the Igreja de São Francisco have to be Porto's most macabre attraction. In the view here we can see the walls are lined with the crypts of wealthy local families. If you look down you can see each rectangle on the floor is a further tomb with a number, but no name. Apparently this is because these were only temporary graves and after a while the body was removed to make way for another paying customer.

Looking up Rua de Tomás Gonzaga in the Miragaia district of Porto. More or less the whole of this district clings to the hillside rising up from the river Douro so hills abound.

This is one of my favourite parts of Porto. Full of charm, slightly run down and far quieter than the tourist spots in the city. 

Looking down Rua de Tomás Gonzaga in Porto. This is at the heart of the Miragaia district which clings to the hillside above the river just west of the Ribeira.

This is proper Porto - a maze of streets lined with buildings in various states of disrepair but still home to a community of locals and not (yet) converted into holiday rentals.

This wedge-shaped house sits on the hairpin bend in Rua de Francisco da Rocha Soares as it climbs up from the riverside towards Carmo.

This area of Porto is Miragaia and still retains a pretty local feel to it.

Looking up Rua do Comércio do Porto which runs down to the riverside , behind the Bolsa and Sao Francisco church. The street was named after one of the city's newspapers which was printed here from the 1850s.

As with much of Porto the street is built on a steep hill. This is unavoidable as the river Douro cuts a deep valley through much of central Porto before leveling off just before the coast.

This was the menu for one of the restaurants along the riverside in Porto. This one was a bit off the main tourist strip and looked pretty rough and ready so I thought it might be worth a go. Sadly the food was pretty rough and ready too!

Porto city walls are a medieval fortification that was built in the 14th century. Known as the Walls of Dom Fernando (Muralhas de D. Fernando) these walls enclosed what was then the extent of the city.

Whilst the best preserved sections of the wall Fernandino wall fortifications is preserved in the cliffs of Guindais, near the cathedral, much of the walls still remain. Over the years they have become incorporated into the streets and buildings of Porto.

The little square of Largo São João Novo lies just a block or two back from the River in Porto. This is just on the edge of the main part of the city in the old Jewish Quarter - day trippers will rarely venture the couple of hundred metres from the Ribeira to get here.

The little square is dominated by two fairly grand buildings. On the northern side is the Palace of São João Novo with its fine Baroque facade. Now empty and in need of renovation there is talk of this becoming a museum.