
We Found Art Everywhere When We Walked Around Porto
We spent a lot of time walking around when we visited Porto. Much of the time our heads were tilted back so we could look at the amazing art we saw everywhere. Buildings were works of art. Traditional blue tiles decorated the outside and inside of buildings. Statues and detailed face sculptures watched you walk by. Â We were amazed to see art everywhere when we walked around Porto!
Tile Work Inside and Outside Of Buildings
We found lots of art everywhere when we walked around Porto. Many of the buildings we saw were artistic and caused us to step and look at the detail in the design. The Camara Municipal do Porto building with the large reflecting pond sat at one end of Liberdade Square. All around the square there was things to see.
Much of the tile work we saw in Porto was the traditional blue tiles. But every now and then we found less traditional tile art.
Massive tile art decorated buildings on the outside. But the tile work on the Sao Bento railway station covered much of the inside walls. It told many different stories about the history and daily life of Portugal.
We were so intrigued by the tile work in a train station in Porto that we made a point to stop in the train station in Pinhao. The tile murals depicted life in the Douro River Valley.
Tile Work on the Outside of Churches
We saw our first view of the stunning tile work on the outside of churches on our trip down the walking strassa on Santa Catarina. Both the Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina and the Church of Iledefonso were worth a stop to admire.
Before we stopped to see the tile work inside the train station, we saw artistic tiles decorating the outside of the Igreja dos Congregados.
The pair of churches joined together (Igreja do Carmo and Carmelitto) had one entire exterior wall decorated in tiles. Many of the churches in Porto were stark in outside design but this pair of churches had much outside ornamentation.
Ornamentation Inside of Churches
The outside tile work on the churches provided art everywhere we walked around Porto. But we didn’t just admire the outside of the churches. The inside architecture was intricate and the decoration stunning.
Close to our hotel was the Igreja da Santissma Trindade. While the church was very stark and gothic, the inside had elaborate gilt decoration.
The big attraction at the Clerigos Church was the tower with 240 steps that provides a panoramic view of Porto. But we didn’t miss a trip inside the church. The alter was stunning, the ceiling a work of art and the side alters sparkled with gilt.
The Se Cathedral was another gothic church with minimal decoration on the outside. While much of the inside was stark stone, there were spots inside that were beautiful and artistic.
The paired churches of Igreja do Carmo and Carmelitto had interesting tile work on the outside. But inside the churches sparkled with gilt and colour.
Statues and Faces on Buildings
Much of the art we found was intricate design or story boards. But we also found statues and faces that decorated the buildings and open areas of Porto.
We spent a long time walking around the National Theatre building as the faces looked down on us! We certainly found art everywhere when we walked around Porto.
We Found Art Everywhere When We Walked Around Porto
We saw art everywhere when we walked around Porto. There was quite a bit of street art when we visited Lisbon. But the most interesting street art we saw when we walked in Porto was the portrait of a street artist’s father (@MrDheoOfficial).
The buildings were artistic in design. Statues and animated faces adorned the buildings. Central squares showed off both traditional and modern statues. Traditional blue tiles decorated the outside of buildings and created 360° frescos in the train station. Keep your eyes peeled when you walk in Porto. There is always more to see!
Did you enjoy the view of art everywhere we walked in Porto? Did you find another interesting example when you visited Porto?
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I love the blue tile and of course the street art:) Portugal is high on our wish list!
Cathy, Porto was truly beautiful everywhere we looked. We did not expect to see so much tile work everywhere we looked. The challenge on your next Portugal visit will be to pick where you will visit. Linda