From symbol of modern technology during Salazar to symbol of revolution Fifty-one years on, revolutionary anthems will be sung again on the 25th of April when Portugal celebrates its Carnation Revolution, which in 1974 ended the Estado Novo (New State) of dictator António Oliveira Salazar, Europe’s longest-lasting dictatorship of more than forty years. After an […]
Bordalo II – Portuguese street artist famous for his large-scale animals made from urban trash (www.lusolobo.com/bordalo)
‘Doctors – like poets – need to be in touch with their feelings’ The poet João Luis Barreto Guimarães (1967) is a breast cancer surgeon, who uses poetry alongside medicine to help trainee doctors empathize with their patients. In 1989 he made his literary debut with the collection Há Violinos na Tribo (The Tribe has […]
The Algarve houses the largest colony of Audouin’s gulls in the world The Audouin’s gull is declining around the world but flourishing in the Algarve, establishing there the largest colony in the world. Year on year this threatened species has increased since settling in the Ria Formosa a decade ago. More than seven thousand nests […]
‘Prime minister Luís Montenegro got himself into trouble’ Damaging soundbites in the media over business connections of the Prime Minister (PM) Luís Montenegro ( and other members of the executive) helped along by revelations in the renowned weekly newspaper Expresso that the PM’s family business Spinumviva receives a 4500 euros monthly retainer from the Solverde […]
The impact of teenage pregnancy is much greater in girls In the past eight years more than eight hundred cases of child marriages – early or forced – were identified in the country. Although most of the teenagers who got married are between 16 and 18 years old, there are 126 situations that involve children […]
Europe’s oldest ceramics factory The Sant’Anna factory – established in 1741 – is Europe’s oldest ceramics factory, renowned for producing traditional Portuguese hand-painted tiles (azulejos) and ceramics, using entirely handcrafted methods. Sant’Anna was born in the neighbourhood of Lapa and initially produced bricks. In 1755, after the apocalyptic earthquake (terramoto) – that completely whipped out […]
‘Literacy is earned through fun, provocation and stimulation’ About 40% of adults in Portugal can only understand simple texts and solve basic arithmetic problems, according to an Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study from 2023, comparing 160.000 people in 31 countries. Only Chileans turned out to have more difficulties in interpreting texts or […]
‘Porcelain is essentially made of kaolin, sand and the mineral feldspar’ Vista Alegre – the country’s most famous porcelain brand – celebrates its 200th anniversary. The factory in Ílhavo, founded in 1824 by José Ferreira Pinto Basto, has remained relevant for two centuries thanks to its quality, ability to reinvent itself and focus on the […]
‘Not just part of Portugal’s history but part of the world’s history’ The rare Garrano is an endangered breed of pony within the Iberian horse family from northern Portugal mainly used as a pack horse, and for light farm work. Members of this emblematic breed are usually dark chestnut in colour, with a straight facial […]