Porto is an old city that gave its name to both Portugal as a nation and the world-famous Port wine. But the city is also steeped in baroque design.

Here, you will find a church that will take your breath away: the Igreja de São Francisco, with an interior that is completely lined with gold.

The church dates back to the discovery of gold and precious stones in Brazil. And it was the enormous wealth that this generated and the availability of exotic wood from the new continents that made it possible to create works of this opulence.

Porto also boasts many other examples of stunning baroque design. The Igreja do Carmo, covered on the outside with blue and white tiles; the Igreja de Santa Clara, a harmonious combination of wooden carvings and tiles, and the Torre dos Clérigos (Nicolau Nasoni’s masterpiece and Porto’s most distinctive monument) are just three examples of mesmerising architecture.