ビラ・ド・コンデの洞窟・トップ4

Beautiful old fort with a museum inside. The interplay of old and new in the background is also wonderful.

Unspectacular, but beautiful view from above.

Great Fortress

Large fortress

Fort on the way from Foz to Matosinhos. It's easy to walk around the fort, but it's nothing special.

The Nossa Senhora das Neves Fort is also known as the Leça da Palmeira Fort or Matosinhos Castle. Its construction began during the Philippine Dynasty in 1638 or 1639, by order of D. João Rodrigues Sá e Menezes, 1st Count of Penaguião, on the site of Santa Catarina, with the aim of defending that port against threats from pirates and corsairs. After the Restoration of Portuguese Independence, considering its great strategic importance for the defense of the bar, in 1642, the officials of the Porto City Council asked the King to complete the works as soon as possible. A Report from 1701 states that the fortification was still incomplete, although it was armed with four guns and manned by eight soldiers under the command of a lieutenant. It is believed that the fort was completed in 1720.

Fort of Our Lady of the Snows

The Forte de São Francisco Xavier is also called the Castelo do Queijo (Cheese Castle). This name refers to the shape of the granite blocks from the rocky coast from which it is built, which have weathered to form rounded cushions or cheese wheels. The fort was built in 1661 and can be visited, but there is an entrance fee.