Azulejos Archives - Annie Crawford

Let’s all move to Porto. Azulejos— colorful, hand painted tiles—cover every imaginable vertical surface. The Duoro River snakes along the southern border of town, spilling into the Atlantic Ocean. Blissed out golden sunset views beckon from the Ponte Dom Luis I. And, there are no wildfires. All good reasons to live there, right? Also, my Portuguese is really coming along so I’ve got us all covered.

Azulejos

Blue and white handpainted tile churc with religious scenes depicted in the tiles. A family of four stands posed in front of the tile wall, showing the grandeur of the building size.

Yellow, white and green architectural wall tile with a curling baroque motif.

Stone and blue tile two story house in Porto with a large, wood arched doorway.

beautiful sage green, white, orange, and purple tile in a repeating geometric star pattern.

Masuloleum with a white tile facade and blue tile trim. Surrounded by cross-topped stone masoleums and the sky is grey and overcast.

Emerald green, pink, and blue flower star hand painted tiles. The tiles have chips and show signs of age.

Azulejos made their way to Portugal in the 14th and 15th centuries from Spain via North Africa. Portugal’s second-largest city, Porto (or Oporto in Portuguese), has particularly embraced these hand-painted tiles. From the city’s southern riverfront to the hilly northern neighborhoods, from watch repair shops to Carmelite convents, tiles grace every city block in an explosion of colors and designs.

The Rio Duoro

View toward Dom Luis I Bridge.

A view from Gaia across the river Duoro toward the Ponte de Luis the 2nd. Three people in shorts and hats look out over a balustrade. — In Gaia looking toward Porto.

View over the city of Porto as the sun sets in the west like a golden ball on the horizon. — Sunset from Dom Luis I.

The majestic Duoro river winds down from Northern Portugal’s border with Spain, through the hillaceously stunning Duoro Valley wine region, out toward the coast where it divides the city of Porto from the (no-longer so small) fishing village of Vila Nova de Gaia. Six bridges span the Duoro River through Porto before the water spills into the sea. For ultimate river glory, walk the Dom Luis I Bridge as the sun sets into the Atlantic and the city of Porto turns solid gold. Do not resist the selfie opportunities.

Electric tram with a sign reading "Infante" on a two-rail track with the river behind. The sky is overcast. — Line 1 runs the river to the ocean.

Tiffany standing in front of green and white striped sign with portuguese wording using a smartphone app to activate an electric scooter. — Wife on a scooter! The best!

Annie's head leaning into a open-air beachy restaurant scene with boho decor. — Boho, beachside Lapa Lapa.

The Ribeira (riverside in Portuguese)—Porto’s UNESCO world heritage neighborhood that borders the Duoro—is home to the Sé Cathedral, the 14th-century Igreja do São Francisco (Church of St. Francis), and medieval cobblestone streets. After the obligatory tourists sites, enjoy a view-rich riverside ride on the Line 1 tram (departing from Infante stop in front Igreja de Såo Francisco).

The tram is totally tourist, but just roll with it. Cruise the electric rails up the river bank to hop out at Jardim Passeio do Alegre. Then walk (or take an electric scooter!) to Lapa Lapa for the darling boho brunch scene that really had me needing a caftan. At Lapa Lapa, like everywhere in Portugal, make reservations.

Hot tip, on the tram, sit on the left or stand. The right hand seats have the least water views.

Eating Porto

The very buttery Portuguese croissant and the powdered sugar sprinkled Touchino do Ceu (literally translated to pig from heaven). — Literally, Pig from Heaven.

Dried, salted cod slabs lay in a grocery store bin under sale signs. — Bacalhau: dried, salted cod.

Closeup of a prego sandwhich--white cheese, beef, and bread. A cold beer and a painted mural are in the background. — Prego sandwich.

Pastries, cured pork, salted, dried cod (bacalhau), and the bonkers Francesinha sandwich are culinary staples in Porto. Definitely eat at family joints, but a progressive meal of regional specialities from upscale food hall Mercado Bom Successo is an easy place to start. Also, go to Venham Mais Cinco (thanks Autumn + Guy!) for their prego sandwich. Once you recover, walk into virtually any cafe for a Francesinha—arguably the meatiest, fattiest, fry-iest creation in the world with ham, steak, fresh sausage, linguisa, cheese, a tomato-beer sauce and a fried egg on top. I left that sucker alone.

Butter-rich pastries are everywhere and it goes without saying you’ve gotta try the Touchino do Ceu—a sugar sweet squash and almond-based dessert cooked with lard. The name in Portuguese means Pig from Heaven.

City Strolling

A large pastel-toned mural of a woman and geometric shapes is in the main focus of this photo as three people descend a stairway to a subway station. — Urban hike with PortoCampo

A cemetery sign reads a epitaph for a Portuguese against a stone mausoleum. A grey sky is in the background. — Fatalistic cemetery musings.

A mural of a Portuguese fisherman is depicted in soft pink against the side of a crumbling building. A train track dips down the front side of the photo. — Porto Pink mural!

In Porto, and most places, we begin with a free walking tour (tip your guide!) to orient ourselves and take in major sites. After seeing the Sao Bento train station, the Dos Igrejas, and the rest we were free to roam the city. I adore Porto’s history, but also love its modern life, its tile-covered neighborhoods, charming coffee shops, friendly residents, and nooks and crannies. You can’t get that from a guidebook, you just have to wander.

Annie in a black tank dress and gold feathery earrings and black sunglasses cheersing with a white espresso cup. — Annie loves espresso.

An interior decor shot of a mid-century modern decorated coffee shop with green and white patterned tiles and wood tables. — O Consulado coffee shop.

A back patio scene full of people seated at wooden benches, under ripe grape vines, along a paved cement path. — Secret garden at Catraio.

Cedofeita (both a street and neighborhood) is perfect for city strolling. Sip espresso at the mid-century fabulous O Consulado, shop the well-curated consignment and secondhand clothing stores, find jewelry and regional food products at CC Bombarda, then have a craft beer in the secret back garden of Catraio. (Or, if you’re like me and don’t drink, have a Lemon Pedras Salgadas…my new favorite mineral water). After, stroll the scores of contemporary art galleries lining Rua de Miguel Bombarda (but, like, plan ahead because no galleries are open Mondays and only sometimes Wednesdays and definitely only after 1:00pm and before 6:00pm, etc.).

Then, venture further afield. Go wild! We did a wonderful urban hike through Gaia with PortoCampo which took us into tiny back alleys with breathtaking views, past aged port wine warehouses, and through romantic, abandoned farm manors. Boavista neighborhood has the Bom Successo food hall, the Cemetery of Agramonte (with fabulous statues and beautifully gothic mausoleums), and the architecturally glorious Casa da Musica. Walk and discover!

Museo de Serralves

Tiffany walking in front of five solid color panels in the color of the rainbow. In the foreground are art books. The gallery walls are white and the floors are oak.

Annie and Tiffany in shadow of a old school film. They're framed in yellow.

The Casa de Serralves, a pink art deco building in the Serralves art complex. A giant spider sculpture stands in front of the house, and a cascading water feature is in the foreground.

Spend an afternoon at the fabulous contemporary artland of Fundação de Serralves. This 44-acre campus includes the Serralves Museum (we love a modern art museum), the amazing (peachy pink!) art deco villa built in the Streamline Moderne tradition, an elevated wooden tree-top walk, outdoor sculpture gardens, an art cinema, and rotating exhibitions from an excellent mix of contemporary Portuguese and international artists. The restaurant museum and tree-lined Serralves park cafe are also dreamy.

Porto Pink

An old pink garage is faded with a faded metal sliding barn door. The sky behind is bright blue.

An old garage door made of wood features cool art noveau carvings. The faded pink paint on either side pops against the green trees and peek of blue sky in the background.

Pink sunburst shaped wall tiles bordered by faded concrete.

Fucshia square patterned tiles with a red diamond design in the center of each tile. Wall tiles are bordered by speckled grey cement.

A peach pink two-story grand old house stands against a grey sky with a black car parked in front.

Faded red to pink wall tiles showing a mix of flowers and geometric rectangular patterns. Chips are visible in the wall tiles.

There is so much pink in Porto and I love it. Arguably some of the pink is faded red, and there’s a healthy amount of peach in the paint and tiles, but it’s fun to make up nicknames and Porto Pink has a real ring to it. From grand homes on Rua da Cedofeita to ramshackle barns in Vila Nova da Gaia to wall tiles wearing pops of fuchsia, the buildings of this city are not afraid to rock the rosa. May we all be inspired.

Day Trips from Porto

Castle of Guimarães, constructed in 10th century and birthplace of the king Afonso Henrique of Portugal, — 10th-century Castelo de Guimarães.

A terracotta plate full of rice, blood sausage, fried pork innards, and potatoes sits on a white table cloth. — All the pig parts on a plate.

Pink lazy susan flowers are reflected against a mirrored smoky background and green floral and — International Garden Festival.

Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Monte de Santa Luzia. The large stone church sits against a blue sky and Annie is in the foreground doing a swishy skirt instagram-type pose. — High on the Monte de Santa Luzia.

A small church (15th century church of Santo António de Torre Velha), overlooking the ponte de lima constructed in 1370. — Ponte de Lima, constructed 1137.

Portugal is relatively small, but each new region has its own culture, culinary specialties, church extravaganzas, and architectural styles. So fun and easy to explore if you have rental wheels. In our two-week Porto stay, we took day jaunts to the medieval town of Guimarães, saw the Catholic religious complex of Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, visited Ponte de Lima with its medieval bridge and faced the biggest plate of pork innards I’ve ever seen my wife eat, explored the annual International Garden Festival in Ponte de Lima (thanks to a hot tip from Autumn!), and took in sweeping Atlantic Ocean views from the Santuário de Santa Luzia in Viana do Castelo before driving through beachy outpost towns back down the coast to Porto. Each adventure was less than 90 minutes away.

The Social Factor

I love so much about Portugal. The language, the chill nature of the people, the beautiful and unique regions, the Pedras Salgadas bubbly water. Certainly Portugal has work in regards to reconciling current-day racism and a painful colonial history (they began the transatlantic trade of enslaved people from Africa). That said, I greatly appreciate the wide-ranging protections for LGBTQ folks, the astronomically small number of gun-related deaths, the (relative) lack of people living on the street thanks to effective drug treatment programs and the Basic Housing Law which ensures housing as a citizen’s right.

Maybe it’s the social policies, maybe it’s the beautiful hand-painted tiles, but of all the many wonderful places I love on this planet, Portugal is only one of three places my body has told me: we should live here.

Of course I want to live everywhere. Of course I love many places. But it’s as though a molecular piece of me fits better when I am in Portugal.

Do you know what I’m talking about? Where does your body want to be?

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