Aveiro in the Beira Litoral Portugal

Canal in Aveiro
View of the waterways in Aveiro

Aveiro west  coast Portugal

Sometimes referred to as the "Venice of Portugal", the "Portuguese Venice" or the "Venice of the West". It is famous for it's university, the lagoon, a network of canals, brightly coloured boats called "molicieros", salt production, local food delicacies and some superb beaches in the surrounding area. 

Footbridge over the water in Aveiro
Colourful bridge across the canal in Aveiro

The boats used around Aveiro are called "molicieros" and unique to this area. Most of the boats are decorated with a scene depicting the life and stories of the fishermen in a humorous and sometimes slightly saucy way. The molicieros were used to collect seaweed which is used locally as fertilizer.
You may also find moliceiros  for hire to tourists and for fishing purposes.

Boats on the canal in Aveiro Portugal
Brightly decorated boats on the canal in Aveiro

 Aveiro has it's own food specialities, one of them is known as "ovos moles" (soft eggs) These are made from sweetened egg yolks and wrapped up in pastry.

As a city surrounded by water you will find plenty of fish on the menus of many resturants including Aveiro style eel stew and many varieties of fish soup. 

Tiled image in Aveiro
Tiled picture in a wall in Aveiro Portugal

Aveiro is an ancient city was a very important sea port on the mouth of the river Vouga. Unfortunately a severe storm in 1575 caused the mouth of the harbour to become silted up, effectively blocking the entrance and killing off the trades which relied on transportation by sea. Today tourism plays a large part in keeping the city alive

Bridge over the lagoon near Aveiro
Lagoon near Aveiro

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