Aveiro

About Aveiro

Cultural History

The history of Aveiro and the Ria de Aveiro are interconnected, because it was probably this water inside the land that attracted here the first people that came to this territory.
The Ria didn't always existed, it's a recent geographic phenomena that is believed to be formed between the centuries (X-XIII), so what existed here was a bay.
The Ria changed along the times and it has brought progress but also terrible times that will be explained in the walking tour.

Fishing and saling

Fishing and sailing are part of our ADN, there are no words to explain how much the people of Aveiro are attached to the waters, manifested by the fishing, sailing, but also in the songs, celebrations and also in a special contemplation.
During the tour you will know more about the importance of Aveiro's know-how in the Portuguese maritime explorations.

Salt ponds

There are records proving the existence of these salt ponds since the Xth century, however it is believed their existence is much earlier. We find some Moorish influences among people and their customs, but we know that other peoples previously passed by also used salt as a method of preserving fish, namely Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans.

Salt production was an extremely important activity for this region as a stimulus of economy and gave rise to a very own culture, marked by the cycles of harvests, giving rise to festivities, habits, gastronomy, beliefs and a very unique identity.

Tiles and ceramics

The ceramics are part of the Icons of Aveiro, we have clay of excellent quality, and we have used them for a long time, with archeological findings to prove it.

Our older and typical houses are covered with tiles, in the picturesque Bairro da Beira-mar you will see a great variety of them with geometric patterns sometimes repeated or varied, between shades varying between blue, pastel with a reddish notes among other shades.