BAPTIZED AS “ALAUARIO ET SALINAS” IN THE YEAR 959 AND PROMOTED TO VILLAGE IN THE 13TH CENTURY, AVEIRO ALWAYS HAD A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE SEA. THE RIA AND THE CANALS, ALONG WITH THE ART NOUVEAU STYLE, HAS GIVEN IT THE ASPECT OF A PORTUGUESE VERSION OF VENICE.
The unstable connection between the ria and the sea provoked its closure in the late 16th century, causing water stagnation and insalubrity, along with a deep economic crisis in the entire region. In 1808, with the inauguration of the Aveiro port channel and the opening up of the ria, the naval, fishing, agricultural and salt industries become once again the town’s economic sources. It’s on this location that one will find the highest lighthouse in Portugal, the Barra Lighthouse, standing 210 ft above sea-level.
Barra lighthouse
The ria, also known as the mouth of the Vouga river, extends over a stretch of 28 miles and is 7 miles wide at some points. It produces the ingredients for the region’s delicious gastronomic products, such as eels (the region’s epicure product), cockles, goose barnacles, oysters, clams and stingrays, commonly served in pitau sauce. Caldeirada (fish stew) is the region’s specialty, based on a recipe created by the fishermen, that used the unsold fish as the basis for their high-seas cooking.
Palheiros
From the Convent of Jesus – where Saint Joanna, Princess of Portugal and saint patron of the town, lived and died – we received another recipe, this time for the ovos moles (‘soft eggs’) and the many sweets derived from it, that up to today satisfy the palate of all those with a ‘sweet tooth’.
In present times, it’s possible to unearth all these secular stories on foot, by BUGA (Aveiro’s Bicycles for Free-Use) or by moliceiro (the local, old sargasso harvesting boats) through its canals, just like in Venice.
