Braga

Braga is Portugal's third largest city, behind just Lisbon and Oporto.  Located in the Minho region, it sits west of Barcelos and north of Guimaraes. The Minho is the birthplace of Portugal and contains many landmarks of Roman and medieval civilizations. 


The Minho is also home to many vineyards and is best known for its sparkling vino verde.  This green wine is not colored green - it is usually white, although can be a rose or red, as well. The verde - green - refers to the use of underripe grapes to make the champagne-like wine. 

Living in history

We took a few minutes in the Braga train station to get our bearings and figure out how far it was into town - whether we could hike it or would need to take a cab.  We looked around and found signs for an information center - but there was really only a tobacconist that sold map. Não bem.
We found an escalator heading to a lower level. Perhaps that was where we would find an information office. Nope - it was the entrance to underground parking. But...there, just at the bottom of the escalator, was an excavation behind plexiglass.  Signage explained that it was the ruins of Roman baths that had been discovered when they were adding the parking lot.  Not tucked away in some museum, but just off the escalator to a parking garage was evidence of Braga's ancient past.

Braga was founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC, and was named Bracara Augusta.  It sat at the intersection of five Roman roads and was an important trade center. It was named the capital of the Roman province of Gallaecia. In 410 AD it was taken by the Suevi and then by the Visigoths in 470 AD. The Visigoths converted to Christianity in the 6th century, and Braga was granted an archbishopric that put the town at the top of the Church's hierarchy in Portugal.  

The Moors took over in 715, with back-and-forth battles between Muslims and Christians for the next 300+ years. In 1040, Fernando I, king of Castila y León, reconquered Braga. The archbishopric was restored in 1070, and Braga's grand cathedral, the Sé de Braga,  was begun the same year.   

We assumed that our hotel, the Sé Inn, must be near the massive central cathedral. For once, we were correct. Of course, given the labyrinth of streets in Braga, it was still a bit of an adventure to find it. 

I should note that when your hotel is just a few steps from the oldest cathedral in Portugal, you do not sleep in. At 8 am the chorus of bells begins and continues for about 15 minutes. Bells ring at various intervals in Braga churches throughout the day, reminding you of the city's devotion to its religious roots.  

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