Ribeira is the most characteristic district of Porto, the third largest city in Portugal by number of inhabitants and the second largest port in the country.
The neighborhood has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to its characteristics that make it unique in its kind. It consists of a maze of very narrow streets that climb the hill that overhangs steeply on the bank of the Douro river which flows into the Atlantic Ocean a little further on.
The cobbled pavement and steeply ascending streets make walking these narrow, shady streets very difficult. Its houses painted in pastel colors and mostly white, dating back to several centuries ago, create an almost unreal atmosphere when viewed from the opposite bank of the Douro in the twin city of Vila Nova de Gaia. The characteristic boats, barcos rabelos in Portuguese, equipped for the transport of the famous Port wine, are moored on the banks of the river. These boats, whose design dates back to several centuries ago, have barrels on the deck for transporting the wine from the production cellars to the warehouses located right in the city of Vila Nova de Gaia.
photo: Sony 12-24mm
original size 17000x8500
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