Portugal with Michael Portillo S01 E01
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00:00This year, millions of us will escape to Portugal to enjoy its year-round sunshine, warm welcome,
00:11and some of Europe's most popular beaches and golf resorts.
00:16What first brought you here?
00:17You're looking at it.
00:19But scratch beneath the surface and there's a whole country to be discovered.
00:26The road is like ice.
00:30I want to show you what makes Portugal so appealing and worth exploring.
00:35Look at this.
00:36Absolutely on an epic scale.
00:40From its north, I'm in a tunnel underneath the Roman Forum.
00:46To its south.
00:47Every day I come down, I'm in love.
00:51And beyond.
00:52This is like a garden of Eden, isn't it?
00:54It's unique.
00:55Nothing like Europe.
00:57We'll explore Portugal's vibrant traditions.
01:00I don't know how they don't fall down.
01:03And colorful history.
01:04Here, all that glisters really is gold.
01:08It's delicious food.
01:10Good Lord, it really does taste of custard, doesn't it?
01:13And ancient crafts.
01:15Roll out the barrel.
01:17And celebrate our discoveries with old allies and newfound friends.
01:22Rejoice!
01:23Rejoice!
01:24The time has come!
01:39My journey through Portugal begins in the beautiful and magnetic city of Porto.
01:46It's the country's second largest, 170 miles north of the capital, Lisbon.
01:55Porto's houses clamber up the steep sides of the gorge, close to where the river Duro
02:01enters the Atlantic.
02:03Porto attracts three million visitors annually, almost as many as the beaches of the Algarve.
02:11I last visited a decade ago, drawn to its cobbled riverside streets and restaurants,
02:19its port lodges, and some of Europe's most dramatic monuments.
02:25Soaring above its wide river is one of the most beautiful cityscapes in Europe.
02:31Porto is today Portugal's second largest city, and manufacturing industry and high tech surround
02:39it.
02:40When I stood here some years ago, many of the historic buildings were scarred by satellite
02:45dishes, and their removal is perhaps symbolic of a renaissance.
02:50Porto today is smarter, slicker, and very hospitable.
02:59Over the next few days, I'll discover why Porto was recently voted the world's best
03:06city destination, combining sumptuous vistas and generous hospitality with hidden neighborhoods.
03:17I can see the bridges.
03:18I can see the Duro.
03:20I'll shout about its proud industrial heritage.
03:24There is the most amazing echo.
03:27And a cuisine not always for the faint hearted.
03:30From nose to tail, skin to bone, everything will go down.
03:40Renowned as the Manchester of Portugal, the people of Porto believe that industry here
03:45creates the country's wealth more than Lisbon.
03:49This city of pride and grit, as well as vistas and gastronomy, ensnares you, and I'm a willing
03:56captive.
03:59The city center neighborhood of Bolhão is famous for its market, in a neoclassical building
04:04from 1914.
04:07When I was last here, it was badly run down, and not somewhere I'd take you.
04:13Now the architecture, the colorful stalls, and even the vendors all look great.
04:20Bom dia!
04:22Bom dia!
04:24Bolhão market dates back to the early 19th century.
04:27It opens six days a week, from eight in the morning until midnight, and its energy never
04:33flags around the clock.
04:37In a food market, you get to know a place and its people.
04:43Today I'm in search of a legendary local dish.
04:47In 1414, the king of Portugal fancied a bit of empire building, and so he sent his two
04:54sons, Pedro and Henry, who would later become the celebrated Henry the Navigator, here to
04:59Porto to prepare for a voyage to seize Ceuta in North Africa.
05:05In the city, they recruited crews, and the enthusiastic population gifted to the expedition
05:12meat, keeping for themselves only the intestines.
05:18Ever since then, the people of Porto have been known as tripeiros, that is to say tripeaters,
05:24and to this day, it's the nickname of the football team.
05:28Now you can see where this is going, and I just wonder whether I have the guts to follow
05:33this thread.
05:34Andre!
05:35Michael, welcome to Mercado do Bolhão.
05:36Obrigado.
05:37De nada.
05:38You know the way to my heart.
05:47Food writer Andre is a tripeiro born and bred.
05:52Is this a Porto wine?
05:53No, regular red from Douro Valley.
05:55It's really light, fragrant and aromatic.
05:58A sip of wine while shopping, a delightful custom that I embrace enthusiastically.
06:04It is an extraordinary social field.
06:07It feels like a party.
06:08I know, isn't it?
06:09What a beautiful market.
06:11It's definitely the heart and soul of Porto's gastronomy.
06:14You can find vendors that have been in the market for over 50 years.
06:19What does the word tripeiros mean to you?
06:21Well, it means a lot.
06:23It's definitely in our DNA.
06:24I know that other places in the country, they call us that in spite, but we're proud of
06:29that, you know.
06:31Tripeiro is all about enduring the hardship of life and still making the best out of it.
06:36And it's poor man's food.
06:37We will eat everything from nose to tail, skin to bone.
06:40Everything will go down.
06:46Before we dive in, Andre has more familiar fare to start us off.
06:51Hello, good morning.
06:52Good morning.
06:53Meloa.
06:54Cantaloupe.
06:55I want meloa.
06:56The proper way to do it is with some tony pork.
07:04This is paradise.
07:05Senhora, this is fantastico.
07:10Next, the original Portuguese fast food, tinned fish.
07:16The canning industry was born here in 1853.
07:20And cheap and convenient tinned sardines, anchovies and tuna became hugely popular.
07:29Today, they're very much back in fashion.
07:32The perfect souvenir.
07:34This is how to serve them when you get home.
07:37In a manner that reminds me, maybe you too, of neighboring Spain.
07:43So, Michael, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite gastronomical traditions
07:47of the country.
07:48Petisco.
07:49Smaller portions of larger items that allow you to eat during the day
07:54without feeling that you're full.
07:56Hello, I'm Michael.
07:57Hello, I'm Sara.
07:58Hello, Sara.
07:59Hello.
08:00This looks lovely.
08:01May I try one?
08:02Of course.
08:03Over here, a baby sardine in tomato sauce.
08:05The cod with some olive oil, garlic and some cumin on top.
08:09And for the last one, the mackerel, just in olive oil, just plain.
08:13In a way, this is taking us back to the Spanish tapa.
08:17In Spanish, tapar means to cover.
08:20And the original tapa was issued to cover your glass,
08:24maybe to keep the flies away.
08:26That's why we call it a tapa.
08:28But now in Spain, the tapas have become huge.
08:30But this is lovely.
08:31This is like an original tapa.
08:32It serves the original purpose.
08:39Marvellous.
08:40Thank you very much, Sara.
08:42After I've quetted, will I find the offal awful?
08:47The local butchers have everything needed.
08:51Hola, senora.
08:52From nose.
08:53Oh, look.
08:55Here's the snout.
08:57There was the eye.
08:58And here's the little ear.
09:00To tail.
09:01Backbone.
09:02Guts.
09:03Oh, my goodness.
09:05So that's a bit of the intestine, right?
09:07Yeah.
09:08To garters.
09:11Garter.
09:12Excellent.
09:13The virtues of nose-to-tail eating
09:16are recognised in Britain, too.
09:18But I've never been confronted with a feast
09:21like that offered by Andre.
09:23Now, there are lots of things here that I do recognise,
09:26like cheese, but what's in this one?
09:29So, in here, at last, the tribe stew.
09:32Cow stomach, a white bean stew,
09:35with some chorizo in,
09:37carrots, parsley, some pork fat as well.
09:41It's great.
09:45I thought it might be very rubbery, but no.
09:48No, no.
09:49It's soft and it's tasty.
09:51Why not eat tribe?
09:52Marvellous.
09:53I love it.
09:54Hmm.
09:55What are they?
09:56This one here is a pig's ear salad.
09:59It can be quite chunky.
10:02Doesn't that look like a dainty morsel?
10:05It does.
10:06It's a dainty morsel.
10:08Dainty.
10:09Doesn't that look like a dainty morsel?
10:12Yes.
10:16It's crunchy.
10:17It breaks into pieces in the mouth.
10:20In English, when we say to make a pig's ear of something,
10:24we mean to make a mess of it.
10:26So, when you said it was a pig's ear salad,
10:28I thought it was amazing.
10:29But, no, that is a salad made of pig's ear.
10:31It's absolutely lovely.
10:33Finally, stuffed intestine, deep-fried.
10:37Oh, thank you.
10:38Oh, just eat it with your fingers.
10:40Yes, why not?
10:46Tasty as well.
10:48I find coming to a market is a brilliant experience.
10:52You learn not only about the city that you're visiting
10:55and what they like to eat,
10:56you learn about the countryside close by.
10:59If you dive into these layers,
11:00you can get to know more about Portugal
11:03and its historical background.
11:05There's no-one that I'd rather dive into intestines with
11:08than with you.
11:09Thank you so much for that.
11:14Coming up, I turn master craftsman.
11:18Roll out the barrel.
11:20Enjoy a stunning sundowner.
11:23Another lovely view in this city of hills.
11:26And discover how politics and much more
11:29united Portugal and Britain.
11:31The bond has been sealed by the love for the grape.
11:50My quest for the heart and soul of Portugal
11:53has begun in the bustling northern city of Porto.
11:58To some, it's flyover territory
12:00as they head for beaches in the south.
12:03But many are discovering that it's a top-notch city break.
12:08Located on the northern banks of the Juro River,
12:11Porto is renowned as Portugal's industrial powerhouse.
12:16Although there's one industry based on the opposite side of the river
12:19that we've been enjoying since the 17th century.
12:25Although port wine takes its name from the city
12:27and has been traded here for over 400 years,
12:30the area of the great wine emporia
12:33proudly bears its own city name.
12:39In 138 BC, the Romans established a port
12:43here at Porto on the river Juro,
12:46about two miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean.
12:49But on the far shore, that is Villa Nova de Gaia,
12:55which is very proud of its distinctness
12:57because it, too, was a Roman settlement.
13:00Now, just as Newcastle stands on one bank of the Tyne
13:03and Gateshead on the other,
13:05and Buda is opposite Pest on the Danube,
13:08so you could make yourself very unpopular
13:11by crossing to the far side and claiming still to be in Porto.
13:17In 1886, the two cities were united
13:21by the impressive double-decker Dom Luis I bridge.
13:27It was designed by a student of Gustave Eiffel,
13:30the man responsible for the Eiffel Tower.
13:33And at the time, its span of 564 feet
13:37was the longest of its type in the world.
13:41I'm taking the busy lower deck,
13:43which connects the two waterfronts,
13:45and it's well worth the effort.
13:47Having admired the bridge,
13:49it's wonderful to walk across it
13:52and to appreciate how busy the river is.
13:54There's a good deal of traffic.
13:56Lots and lots of boats go backwards and forwards.
13:58And from the bridge,
14:00youngsters are hurling themselves into the river.
14:03Brave, foolhardy, it's your choice.
14:11Like many tourists,
14:13I'm visiting one of Vila Nova de Gaia's numerous port lodges.
14:17But today, I won't be sampling any wine.
14:23I'm hoping to learn about the craft at the heart of making it,
14:27since port must mature and age over years or decades.
14:33Hello, Michael. Very nice to see you.
14:36Miguel has worked here for 40 years.
14:39Now, this is a magnificent chamber
14:41and it's full of what I would call barrels.
14:44I suppose it's impossible to exaggerate
14:47the importance of the wooden vessel.
14:49We often say that the port is born in the vineyards,
14:52but it's made here in the sense
14:54that it has matured here in Vila Nova de Gaia.
14:58The barrels are so valuable
15:00that a specialist team of master craftsmen,
15:03known as tanoeiros, or coopers,
15:06is devoted to keeping them in prime condition.
15:09Bon dia.
15:11Hola, bon dia.
15:14What an amazing sight, Miguel.
15:16I imagine this has not changed much since medieval times.
15:19That's right. The art of cooperage is many hundreds of years old.
15:22Are they constructing barrels here?
15:24We don't actually make barrels any more.
15:26It's all about maintaining the wood that we have.
15:29We use seasoned or very old wood for aging port.
15:32The average age of all these barrels we have in our lodges
15:35is between 70 and 80 years old.
15:37Some of them are as old as 100, 100-plus years old.
15:41Antonio.
15:42Antonio.
15:43Me llamo Michael.
15:44Antonio Sá. He's our head cooper.
15:46He's been working as a cooper for 35 years plus.
15:49So Antonio is looking for little splits and little holes.
15:53That's right.
15:54And he identifies them, marks them up.
15:56You've got to peel.
15:57OK.
15:58So that leaked already.
15:59You can see a stain here where the port has come out.
16:02The wood has lifted up a bit here.
16:04You've got a little split going through here.
16:06Those two staves will have to be replaced.
16:08They've got to come out.
16:13Liberated from its steel cage...
16:16Oh, and look at that.
16:18It just all comes apart.
16:20So, number one...
16:23I'm given the crucial job of numbering the staves
16:26in precise order
16:28so we know how to put the barrel back together.
16:32So he's now going to remove the two staves he needs replacing.
16:35Wow, wow, wow, wow. Look at that.
16:37Oh, there you are.
16:39Completely rotten.
16:41It fell apart in my hands.
16:43It has a lovely aroma.
16:45Antonio, how many years do you think the port has been in a barrel
16:49and created that stain there?
16:51About 80 to 90 years, he thinks.
16:53Wow, look at that.
16:58Staves are salvaged from broken barrels
17:02and used in the repairs.
17:05So this is the next stage of the operation,
17:08which is placing the straw between the staves
17:11to make the barrel liquid-type.
17:13Hello, hello. I'm Michael.
17:15Hello, I'm Marco.
17:16Hello, Marco. Good to see you.
17:18This is just natural straw.
17:20Yes.
17:21Could you show me how to do this?
17:22Maybe I could do a little piece for you.
17:23It's not that difficult.
17:25With the help of the hammer,
17:27you insert the knife between the staves.
17:30No, no, no, no, no.
17:31On this side, yes.
17:34Just opening that up.
17:35Don't be afraid.
17:36Yes, that's fine.
17:37We're opening it up.
17:38Good.
17:39Now, you insert it between the staves.
17:42You can rip it off.
17:44Just tear it away?
17:45Yes.
17:46Yes.
17:47Perfect.
17:48You're a genius teacher.
17:49You're an excellent student.
17:51Thank you very much.
17:55To finish, a new groove is cut into the lid.
17:59How old do you think this piece of equipment is?
18:01This bench is between 100 and 200 years old.
18:03It's always been like this.
18:05The simple ideas are the best.
18:07With the refurbished barrel complete,
18:14it should endure without another service
18:17for a few more decades.
18:19Roll out the barrel.
18:21I wonder how many millions have been rolled out before
18:25over the centuries to satisfy the English lust for port.
18:31Back in the 13th century,
18:35England was already importing a red wine from Portugal.
18:39In 1373, King Edward III and King Ferdinand I
18:44made an alliance between the two nations,
18:47promoting perpetual friendship.
18:50And it is the longest continuous treaty to exist to this day.
18:56England developed a passion for port.
19:00And a second compact was necessary,
19:02the Methuen Treaty,
19:04to regulate that the wine would come strictly from the Douro Valley
19:08and not be adulterated by Spanish product.
19:12Well, if international politics brought our two countries together,
19:17the bond has been sealed by the love for the grape.
19:21Back on the banks of the Douro,
19:23I'm meeting Charlotte,
19:25whose family arrived here from Britain over 140 years ago
19:29and has been at the heart of the port trade ever since.
19:35Well, Charlotte, not many views like this.
19:38No, we're so lucky.
19:40Honestly, every day I look out and I wonder,
19:43I can't believe this is my home.
19:45You are so beautiful.
19:47You are so perfectly spoken in English,
19:50but actually your life has been here.
19:52Absolutely.
19:54People ask me where my home in England is
19:56and I don't have a home in England.
19:58This is my home.
20:00My great-great-grandfather, Andrew James Symington,
20:02travelled here in 1882, aged 18,
20:04from Scotland to Portugal.
20:06And he fell in love with Porto,
20:08with the Douro Valley,
20:10with its people and its wines.
20:12And we're a curious mix of English,
20:14Portuguese and Scottish.
20:16AJ actually ended up marrying a Portuguese lady,
20:18so I seem very English,
20:20but my roots and my home are fundamentally here in Porto.
20:25Charlotte has promised a perfect spot to enjoy a glass.
20:30But first we have to reach the place.
20:34If you've a head for heights,
20:36for seven euros,
20:38this is a great way to survey the city.
20:41The boats we see now are basically tourist boats,
20:44but they hark back to the port boats, don't they?
20:47These flat-bottomed boats,
20:49barraco rebelos,
20:51are a fundamental part of the port wine story.
20:53So after the first harvest,
20:55the barrels of port would be brought back down
20:57on the river to the coast,
20:59to then be shipped off.
21:01It was quite a treacherous journey.
21:03The boats would fit between 40 and 100 barrels,
21:05with 12 men guiding the boats down.
21:07They'd eventually be moored up here
21:09and they'd be taken by oxen cart
21:11up to the lodges,
21:13to finish,
21:15Charlotte's taking me to enjoy
21:17a superb view
21:19and to receive a late afternoon lesson
21:21in port.
21:23Another lovely view
21:25in this city of hills.
21:27Yeah, we've got the hustle and bustle
21:29down below us.
21:31So this is an aged tawny port,
21:33aged for 20 years.
21:35Tawny is an interesting word, isn't it?
21:37It's applied to owls and port.
21:39Absolutely.
21:41This is a coffee-style port
21:43where you have freshness
21:45in terms of black currants.
21:47Here it's much more about dried fruit,
21:49so this is much more nutty.
21:51You've got apricots, you've got honey,
21:53you've got orange peel flavours in it.
21:55You've obviously got a great palate.
21:57Now, when you come from a family like yours,
21:59is the palate hereditary or do you have to train?
22:01I'm still learning.
22:03It's a privilege to be able to taste as often as we do.
22:05Thank you so much.
22:07Thank you so much for coming and visiting us.
22:15Coming up...
22:17I have a close shave.
22:19In this moment, I have a blade in your neck.
22:23Unearth a hidden gem.
22:25Here, all the glisters
22:27really is gold.
22:29And I leave the tourist trail
22:31behind.
22:33This is extraordinary, isn't it?
22:41Our journey together,
22:43discovering the delights of Portugal
22:45is underway in Porto.
22:47A city with industry
22:49and rough edges
22:51that offers much beauty
22:53and entertainment to the visitor.
22:55And which I heartily recommend.
22:57Today, I'm up early
22:59to make the most of it.
23:01The people of Portugal
23:03are known for their
23:05hospitality and hospitality.
23:07They're known for their
23:10The people of Porto
23:12think of themselves as tough.
23:14They've made prosperity
23:16for the whole country
23:18the hard way, through manufacture.
23:20In that respect, they might be
23:22compared with the people of Manchester.
23:24And indeed,
23:26in Italy, in England,
23:28in Spain, people in the north
23:30tend to look down on the people in the south
23:32a little bit as being
23:34luxuriant, less industrious,
23:36a bit soft.
23:38Even today,
23:40the most important industries
23:42and companies tend to be clustered
23:44in the north of Portugal
23:46with Porto at their heart.
23:48And in the 19th century,
23:50this economic powerhouse
23:52merited and required a
23:54stock exchange.
23:56And so, over a number of decades,
23:58to house it,
24:00this austere palace took shape.
24:04The Palácio da Bolsa
24:06is no longer Portugal's stock exchange
24:08but it is one of
24:10Porto's hidden highlights.
24:12It's worth booking
24:14the guided tour.
24:16It opens at 9am
24:18and I've been allowed in
24:20ahead of the crowds.
24:22How stupendous!
24:26This is the Hall of Nations.
24:30This was the principal trading floor.
24:32And around the walls
24:34are shown the coats of arms
24:36of the countries that
24:38were the principal trading partners of Portugal.
24:42The United States,
24:44Brazil
24:46and Portugal's oldest
24:48ally, the United Kingdom.
24:54You have to imagine
24:56this place absolutely crowded
24:58with merchants naming
25:00the stock and the price
25:02that they were willing to part with it.
25:06And I can't quite imagine
25:08how that system of open outcry
25:10worked in this room
25:12because under this magnificent glass dome
25:14there is the most amazing
25:16echo!
25:26The building
25:28is impressive
25:30especially the final
25:32dazzling display of
25:3419th century wealth.
25:38This is the so-called
25:40Arab Room.
25:42It's based upon the
25:44great Moorish palace of the Alhambra
25:46at Granada
25:48in Spain.
25:50And here, all that glisters
25:52really is gold.
25:54There's said to be 18kg
25:56of the stuff on the walls.
25:58It was built
26:00as a party room
26:02and for balls
26:04but really
26:06it was constructed to impress.
26:08And speaking
26:10for myself
26:12it's been a total success.
26:20Porto in the 19th and 20th
26:22centuries was transformed
26:24by factories producing
26:26everything from pots
26:28and pans
26:30to ceramics and textiles.
26:35With its newfound wealth
26:37came a taste for the finer things.
26:39In 1887
26:41Portugal's first luxury
26:43soap and perfume factory
26:45was established here by two
26:47entrepreneurs.
26:51Today their boutique is open for business
26:54on one of Porto's prime
26:56shopping boulevards.
27:00And in the way that a smell can be so
27:02evocative
27:04every perfume here
27:06wafts me back to the year 1887.
27:10The perfect place to pick up
27:12a reminder of your visit
27:14or for the more adventurous
27:18a shaving soap.
27:20Abracadabra!
27:24Hello Nuno!
27:26Nice to meet you. Fill it in please.
27:28Thank you so much.
27:32And now
27:34I use the shaving soap classic sense.
27:36Another nice smell.
27:42There must be a lot of trust between a barber
27:44and a client.
27:46In this moment I have a blade in your neck.
27:48You can close your eyes.
27:50It's your time to relax.
27:52Don't worry.
27:54Suddenly
27:56I'm transported back to an era
27:58when male grooming salons
28:00were the height of fashion.
28:02And a gentleman
28:04demanded his daily
28:06wet shave.
28:10There's no comparison between shaving yourself
28:12and being shaved.
28:18While Porto's 19th century tycoons
28:20enjoyed the trappings
28:22of their success
28:24a vast workforce
28:26flopped to the city
28:28in search of work.
28:30Just a mile away
28:32is Porto's Fontanhas district
28:34worth visiting for its riverside
28:36views back down to the Duro.
28:40I though have come
28:42in search of a little known monument
28:44to those unsung heroes
28:46the 19th century labourers
28:48who powered the factories.
28:52Porto is full of hills
28:54and some of the slopes here
28:56can be pretty challenging
28:58even if you're travelling light.
29:00But from the time of the Industrial Revolution
29:02certain women were required
29:04to make this journey
29:06carrying on their backs
29:08a burden of 50 kilograms
29:10of weight
29:12and to repeat this crippling task
29:14all day, every day
29:16of their working lives.
29:18I'm meeting
29:20amateur historian Leonor to learn more.
29:22Leonor. Michael.
29:24Lovely to see you.
29:26You've just came up that hill?
29:28I did, I did. Oh dear, oh dear.
29:30And this is a pretty harrowing
29:32monument. Why were these women
29:34carrying the burden? What was the burden?
29:36Well, first of all the burden was
29:38gores and was used to
29:40light up the ovens in factories
29:42bakeries
29:44some houses also
29:46they would carry about 50 kilograms
29:48most of the times that corresponds
29:50to their weight
29:52they were the easiest and cheap labour
29:54to do this.
29:56I see that she's barefooted as well.
29:58Well yeah, most of them would be
30:00it's so much easier to walk up
30:02this hill, stone ledges
30:04barefoot and with slippery
30:06shoes. But these women
30:08needed to provide for large families
30:10most of them had no other resource
30:12but their physical strength
30:14and they struggled throughout
30:16all their lives.
30:21Most visitors don't get this far
30:23but if they did
30:25they would discover another
30:27of Porto's revelations.
30:29Another street
30:31in Porto. It looks like
30:33many of the streets you probably saw so far
30:35this one has the surprise
30:37a street in a street
30:39that is extraordinary
30:41can you see that?
30:43Behind the terrace frontages
30:45tiny dwellings crowd the backyards
30:47and gardens
30:49built to house the workers
30:51who toiled in Porto's 19th century
30:53factories
30:55over
30:5710,000 people still live
30:59in these hidden communities
31:01known as Ilias
31:03or islands
31:05this is extraordinary isn't it?
31:08The frontages are just so
31:10close together
31:12but it's pretty isn't it?
31:14People live in a way
31:16isolated from all the
31:18outside world
31:20Is that why they're called Ilias, islands?
31:22One of the reasons why also, yes
31:24and then there's a sense
31:26of community
31:28everybody knows everybody else
31:30everybody helps to take
31:32care of their neighbour
31:34Nina Clarinha
31:36Hello
31:38We're visiting Clara
31:40who's lived here most of her life
31:42Ok, mind your head
31:44further down
31:46Clara
31:48What does this house consist of?
31:50What does this house consist of?
31:52I have the kitchen here
31:54the kitchen here, obviously, yes
31:56the dining room
31:58a little living room, sitting room
32:00and upstairs is my room
32:02and one room upstairs
32:04is my room, yes
32:06Do you like this house?
32:08I like it, yes
32:10I've lived here for many years
32:12I'm never leaving here
32:14I'm never leaving here
32:16Let's go to your room
32:18Nina Clarinha
32:20Mind your head
32:22I need to watch my head
32:24You do
32:26Yes
32:28Clara, Clara
32:30The house is beautiful
32:32It's small, of course
32:34but it's beautiful
32:36What a wonderful home
32:52People used to play music
32:54very loudly on Saturdays
32:56that was the day for cleaning the houses
32:58and people would be playing music
33:00Everyone was out there
33:02and everyone was so cheerful
33:06I brought up two children here
33:08but she says now
33:10it's a street without children
33:20All the secrets
33:22are tumbling out now
33:24Clara had two children
33:26but they've moved away
33:28They're on the other side of the river
33:30in Gaia
33:32and she has a grandson
33:34of 32
33:36which seems absolutely impossible
33:38but Clara has just revealed
33:40that she's 85
33:42impossible
33:44Clara, thank you very much
33:46My pleasure
33:48Thank you very much
33:52That was charming
33:54Leonor astonishes me again
33:58Can you help me, please?
34:00To put up the ladder
34:02Will you hold it for me, please?
34:04Oh, yes, absolutely
34:06In a city where affordable housing
34:08grows scarcer by the year
34:10the Ilias
34:12come with the most desirable asset
34:14Yes
34:16I can see the bridges
34:18I can see the Duro
34:20I have a wonderful view
34:24I hope these residences
34:26are never sold
34:28but if they were
34:30I can imagine the estate agent's details
34:32Bijou residence
34:34one up, two down
34:36in friendly neighbourhood
34:38with partial view of the Duro
34:42Coming up
34:44I'm all fingers and thumbs
34:48Oh, no
34:50And I enjoy a feast for the eyes
34:52The building is covered
34:54in ceramics from top to toe
35:08My time discovering the heart
35:10and soul of Portugal's second city
35:12Porto is almost over
35:16And I find myself back where I began
35:18in the Bolhão district
35:20just north of the food market
35:24On the corner of two busy shopping streets
35:26lies a small
35:28but very striking chapel
35:30It's well worth making a detour
35:34The use of blue tiles to decorate
35:36the exteriors of public buildings
35:38is as archetypically Portuguese
35:40as port or cod
35:46This is the chapel of alms
35:48where 360 square metres
35:50are covered by nearly
35:5215,000 tiles
35:54depicting the lives and deaths
35:56of Saint Francis
35:58and Saint Catherine
36:00King Manuel II
36:02visited Seville in Spain
36:04in 1503
36:06and he imported
36:08the tile-making techniques into Portugal
36:10which also adopted
36:12a Moorish tradition known as
36:14horror vacui
36:16which is a fear of leaving
36:18empty spaces
36:21This is another, I think, well-illustrated
36:23here where the building
36:25is covered in ceramics
36:27from top to toe
36:31A ten-minute stroll
36:33back down the bustling Rua das Flores
36:35I've heard of a street
36:37that's home to another unseen wonder
36:41Despite its central location
36:43you won't find Rua do Belomonte
36:45mentioned in the guidebooks
36:47A sad omission
36:49I love its faded grandeur
36:51the hints of its heyday
36:53when it was crowded
36:55with trades and workshops
36:57It still bristles with charm
37:01And you can still brush up
37:03against some evidence
37:05of those industrious times
37:09This is an absolutely
37:11fantastic sort of place
37:13It has every sort of brush
37:15It has nail brushes
37:17scrubbing brushes
37:19chimney sweeping brushes
37:21washing up brushes
37:23shoe brushes
37:25and hairbrushes
37:27The business has been in Sergio's family
37:29for four generations
37:31I'm Michael
37:33Sergio, it's a pleasure
37:35What an astonishing shop
37:37this is
37:39I mean, there are brushes here
37:41that I don't even recognise
37:43It's like the traditional broom
37:45Every Portuguese home has a broom like this
37:47for barbers
37:49when they cut the hair
37:51to take the hair off
37:53It's goat hair, very soft
37:55That's a lovely brush
37:57and a beautiful design
37:59How old is this business?
38:01We are 97 years old
38:03almost 100
38:05You'll soon be celebrating
38:07It was founded by my great-grandfather
38:09And are there many
38:11manufacturers like you?
38:13About 20, 30, 40 years ago
38:15we had 6, 7
38:17brush-making companies by hand
38:19Nowadays it's just only us
38:21in all Portugal and Spain
38:23A marvellously traditional company
38:27Not surprisingly, this is the last
38:29shop on the Iberian Peninsula
38:31making brushes by hand
38:33I hope that it may survive
38:35another 97 years
38:37at least
38:39At the rear
38:41Sergio's father Nuno
38:43and colleague Fatima
38:45are busy at work
38:47What sort of brush are you making there?
38:49A beer brush
38:51I've never needed one of those
38:53but I'm sure it's very useful
38:55How long have you worked here?
38:5746
38:5946 years?
39:01Absolutely incredible
39:03In the time I've been here
39:05this brush has taken shape
39:07Which is extraordinary
39:09Such skill and such speed as well
39:11Our brushes are made by hand
39:13but we call Fatima our machine
39:17Would you like to try?
39:19I'll make a mess of it
39:21but yes, I'd like to try
39:23By the touch
39:25you have to feel how many hairs
39:29I push through the hole
39:31and that gives me a loop
39:33You grab the loop
39:35Yeah
39:37Oh, no
39:39No, no, no
39:41Let's start again
39:43It's not easy
39:45It is not easy
39:47I've got my loop
39:49Take a few hairs
39:53I don't have enough hands
39:59Yes
40:01You shared my excitement
40:04Okay
40:06We're on a roll now
40:10Yes
40:12No, it's not in the loop
40:14Oh, it's not in the loop
40:16Oh, dear
40:22I think in 20 years
40:24we have a ready brush
40:26Right, I think we've demonstrated that
40:28Fatima, I want to say I'm so sorry
40:34And I can't think of a more fitting memento
40:36of my time in Porto
40:40Maybe a hairbrush
40:42You are in the right place
40:44Yes
40:46You have two types
40:48May I take that, please?
40:50Thank you very much
40:54Oh, lovely
40:56Even the wrapping is old-fashioned
40:58Yes
41:00Thank you very much
41:02Bye
41:12The opening chapter
41:14of my journey and search
41:16of the true Portugal
41:18is almost ended
41:20and I've been struck by how much
41:22this fascinating second city
41:24has changed since I was last here
41:26a decade ago
41:28This is paradise
41:30Porto has become
41:32smarter and more
41:34outward-facing
41:36but its people still value its history
41:38and customs
41:40They are imprinted in the character
41:42of a city
41:44It's small, of course, but it's beautiful
41:46that makes a
41:48huge and distinctive contribution
41:50to Portugal's identity
41:52And the very evident
41:54presence of the port companies
41:56provides a bridge
41:58between Portugal's history
42:00and a very substantial link
42:02with Britain
42:04Perfect
42:06You're a genius teacher
42:08You're an excellent student
42:10Thank you very much
42:12Given the mixed character
42:14of this place
42:16I would not compare
42:18my experience here
42:20with a draught of wine
42:22but rather with a cocktail
42:24a little complex
42:26Next time
42:28I discover
42:30Portugal's oldest city
42:32Wow
42:34That is remarkable
42:36Flushed
42:38with excitement
42:40I'm off
42:42And its oldest town
42:44I don't know
42:46how they don't fall down
42:48exhausted and busy
42:50How long has your family been here?
42:52I would say forever
42:54Rejoice
42:56Rejoice
42:58The time has come