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BRAGA |
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BRAGA , the tourist office pamphlet claims, is Portugal's answer to
Rome. This clearly is going over the top - though it illustrates the
city's ecclesiastical pretensions. Founded by the Romans in 279 BC,
Braga was a bishopric before being occupied by the Moors. It was
reconquered early in the eleventh century and by the end of the century
its archbishops were pressing for recognition as "Primate of the Spains",
a title they disputed with Toledo over the next six centuries. It is
still Portugal's religious capital - the scene of spectacular Easter
celebrations with torchlit processions and weirdly hooded penitents.
You won't be able to miss the Archbishop's Palace , a great
fortress-like building, right at the centre of the old town. In medieval
times it covered a tenth of the city and today easily accommodates the
municipal library and various faculties of the university. Nearby is the
Sé , which like the palace encompasses Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque
styles. It was founded in 1070 and its south doorway is a survival from
this earliest building; its most striking element, however, is the
intricate ornamentation of the roofline, executed by João de Castilho,
later the architect of Lisbon's Jerónimos Monastery. A guided tour of
the interior (8.30am-6/6.30pm; free, museum and Capela dos Reis ¬1.50)
takes you through three Gothic chapels, of which the outstanding
specimen is the Capela dos Reis (King's Chapel), built to house the
tombs of Henry of Burgundy and his wife Teresa, the cathedral's founders
and the parents of Afonso Henriques, founder of the kingdom. Beyond the
chapels is the cathedral museum - one of the richest collections in
Portugal, but displayed like a junk shop.
The Art Deco tourist office (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-12.30pm &
2-5.30pm; tel 253 262 550) at the corner of Praça da Republica has
copies of Cultura Norte , listing - in Portuguese - most events in the
region. Two hotels offering excellent value are the Residencial Inácio
Filhos , Rua Francisco Sanches 42 (tel 253 263 849;
£15-20/$24-32/¬27-36), and the well-located Grande Residencia Avenida ,
Avda. da Liberdade 738 (tel 253 262 955; £15-20/$24-32/¬27-36). The Casa
Dos Lagos (tel 253 676 738; £20-25/$32-40/¬36-45) is a lovely old
farmhouse high up on the hill overlooking Braga on the road leading up
to the Monte do Bom Jesus church. Braga's well-equipped hostel is at Rua
Santa Margarida 6 (tel 253 616 163; £15-20/$24-32/¬27-36), off Avda.
Central; the campsite (tel 253 273 355) is a two-kilometre walk along
the Guimarães road, but is very cheap and right next to the municipal
swimming pool. Churrasqueira Lareira do Conde , on Praça Conde de
Agrolongo, serves reasonably priced quality food in generous quantities,
as does the Restaurante Moçambicana at Rua Andrade Corvo 8, one of
several excellent cheap restaurants grouped around the Arco da Porta
Nova. Café Astória (due to reopen soon after renovations), Praça da
Republica, is by far the best of the old coffee houses ,
mahogany-panelled and with cut-glass windows. Internet access is
available at Netstation, a new Internet café at the end of Rua de Santa
Mareida, by Largo de Infias (¬1.50/hr).
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