t Brightly coloured moliceiros on the Canal Central
g The Beiras g Contents
t Brightly coloured moliceiros on the Canal Central
Experience The Beiras
n Double-tap image to read the labels
Tucked in between the Canal das Pirâmides, which was named after the salt pyramids that once lined this waterway, and the Canal de São Roque, the old quarter of the city was once home to salt warehouses. Although no longer lined with industry, this area is still home to the neat, whitewashed houses of Aveiro’s fishermen. In the early morning, the focus of activity is the Mercado do Peixe at the end of the Canal das Pirâmides, where the fish from the night’s catch is auctioned to local restaurants. Although it was remodelled in the early 21st century, there has been a bustling market hall on this site since the late 18th century, making it a historic part of local life.
Skirting the Canal Central, along Rua João de Mendonça, are Art Nouveau mansions and some of the many pastelarias selling Aveiro’s speciality: ovos moles. Literally “soft eggs”, these are a rich confection of sweetened egg yolk in candied casings shaped like fish or barrels. As so often in Portugal, the original recipe is credited to nuns. Ovos moles are sold by weight or in little barrels.
South of the Canal Central and the bustling Praça General Humberto Delgado are the principal historic buildings of Aveiro. The Misericórdia church in the Praça da República dates from the 16th century, its façade of azulejos framing a splendid Mannerist portal. In the same square stands the stately 18th-century Paços do Concelho, or town hall, with its distinctive Tuscan-style pillars.
Nearby is Aveiro’s modest 15th-century cathedral of São Domingos. The figures of the Three Graces over the door on the Baroque façade were added in 1719. A short walk south lies the Igreja das Carmelitas, its nave and chancel decorated with paintings of the life of the Carmelite reformer, St Teresa.
Insider Tip
The upper floor of the Mercado do Peixe is now a buzzing restaurant, populated by students and locals. Of course, the menu uses fresh fish from the market below. While you eat, look out of the huge windows on to the Canal de São Roque.
The former Mosteiro de Jesus is full of mementoes of Santa Joana, who died here in 1490. The daughter of Afonso V, Joana retreated to the convent in 1472 and spent the rest of her life here. She was beatified in 1693 and her ornamental Baroque marble tomb is in the lower choir. The 18th-century paintings in the chapel show scenes of her life. This was once the needlework room where Santa Joana died. Among the Portuguese primitive paintings is a 15th-century full-face portrait of the princess in court dress.
Other interesting things to see in this museum include the superb gilded chancel (1725–9), the 15th-century cloisters and the refectory, which is decorated in local Coimbra tiles. Between the refectory and chapterhouse lies the Gothic tomb of an armoured knight, Dom João de Albuquerque.
t Decorated buildings, one an Art Nouveau marvel, in the Old Quarter
Old maritime charts do not show a lagoon here, but in 1575 a terrible storm raised a sand bar that blocked the harbour to create the lagoon. Denied access to the sea, Aveiro declined, its population cut down by the fever bred in the stagnant waters. It was not until 1808 that the barra nova was created, linking Aveiro once more to the sea.
The lagoon that remains covers some 65 sq km (25 sq miles), and is nearly 50 km (30 miles) long, from Furadouro south past Aveiro’s salt pans and the Reserva Natural das Dunas de São Jacinto (Nature Reserve of São Jacinto) to Costa Nova. The reserve includes beaches, dunes and woods as well as the lagoon, and is home to a large and varied bird population, including pintails and goshawks. Of the boats seen here, the most elegant is the moliceiro. Despite the bright, often humorous decoration on its high, curving prow, this is a working boat, harvesting moliço (seaweed) for fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers have drastically cut demand for moliço, but a few of the stately craft survive; the Festa da Ria in July is a chance to see them in full sail.