In Northern Portugal, land of nostalgia, art and legends

Stormy nights can be wild. Massive waves crashing against the huge windows, the roar of the sea screaming overbearingly. And to think that this house, the Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, was born as a quiet tea room. Designed by Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza in the late 1950s, it became a national monument in 2011 and remains an iconic place in Northern Portugal, the region centered in Porto and wrapped around the coils of the Douro River. The house is located on a rock at sea level, above the isolated and spectacular Praia da Boa Nova. From a tea room it has evolved into a two-star restaurant, where chef Rui Paula presents cuisine inspired by a verse (“Unexplored waters”) by the famous Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões. The sea that peeps out of the windows enters the dishes with its most special gifts: red prawns, “Chanel” squid, John Dory fish and razor clams.

Porto, the region's charming capital, is a half-hour drive away, with its cobbled streets, historic wine shops, and riverside bustling with tourists. A visit to Livraria Lello is a must, even if you have to wait in line for a long time. Behind the Art Nouveau façade are neo-Gothic interiors, with a multi-colored glass ceiling, carved wood panels, and a winding staircase. The real gems, however, are kept in the Gemma Room, on the floor below: rare books, manuscripts, first editions, such as Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita or Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. The latest acquisition is Amy Winehouse's personal collection, which contains more than 200 volumes. Aromas, spices, and cod in a thousand versions at the Mercado do Bolhão, imposing azulejos in the atrium of São Bento station, and a kaleidoscopic diorama of old Porto in the streets of the Ribeira district. For those who love the blue tiles of Portugal, there is a must-see: the Banco de Materiais, a real “bank” of azulejos, created to protect the architectural heritage of this part of the country. Due to years of neglect, many of the original tiles of the city's buildings - all hand-painted - have been lost or damaged. The Banco de Materiais holds tens of thousands of them and makes them available to property owners, who can take them free of charge to restore a facade.

Once you leave Porto, after the inevitable boat trip on the river, to really immerse yourself in the history and traditions of Northern Portugal you have to move to Guimarães, where the ancient fortress bears witness to the birth of the nation. Stop at the Confeitaria Clarinha, in business since 1947 with the traditional (and secret) recipe for clarinhas, born as convent sweets filled with pumpkin and today covered by as many as three patents. The city is also famous for its fabrics and embroidery made with ancient techniques that make each piece unique. From here you can move for a unique gastronomic experience in Portela. Renato Cunha, a self-taught chef of great talent, is a genuine guardian of the local culinary tradition in the restaurant Ferrugem, located in an old granary. But it is elsewhere that he expresses himself with greater passion: in the garden of the family farmhouse during the summer months he organizes unique outdoor dinners for small groups. It is what in Piedmont would be called “merenda sinoira”, a long interlude of glasses and bites that unfolds from sunset to late evening. Everyone in a circle listening to Renato as he recounts family recipes, while the dishes simmer in large black pots. Food that unites and bears witness, friendships that are born around the wriggling logs, improvised toasts until late at night. Another unmissable destination is Braga, a city of monasteries and legends. Bon Jesus do Monte is earned by climbing the steps (577). A 14th-century pilgrimage site, it is a complex assemblage of architectural styles, with bizarre and surprising details, intersections of Baroque-style stairs dedicated to the five senses and fountains that soften the resting levels. Fortunately, in 1882 a comfortable funicular was built for the descent. At that point every sin is already expiated.