TRAVEL Oh Porto!

Portugal’s second city is worth savouring, it will leave you feeling all warm inside

SAILORS discovered Porto in pre-Roman times and many quietly settled there in the following centuries, but the North Portuguese port is far from quiet now as it is fast becoming one of the hottest city-break destinations in Europe. Both ancient and modern, the base from where great explorers such as Henry the Navigator and Magellan set sail to discover much of the New World is now both bustling and vibrant, while retaining a unique Old World charm.

An Old World charm evident in the magical Livraria Lello bookshop, which, I was surprised to hear, is supposedly the inspiration for many of JK Rowling’s locations in Harry Potter as she lived here for a number of years while writing the novels.

Once inside the charming bookshop however, even if you’re a muggle, you can be in no doubt that you too are entering Ms Rowling’s world. The similarities to Hogwarts is uncanny.

Another Old World charm of course can be tasted in the fantastic produce of the local Port houses which are famous the world over – the perfect tipple to wash down the region’s absolutely magnificent food with, more of that anon.

The warmth and grace with which you are greeted by the citizens of Porto would lead you to think you were meeting old friends, or even family – and do you know what, there may be some truth to that.

We could be cousins with many of the Porto natives through a very strange connection, the Spanish Armada – yes, Spanish – the botched sea invasion of England that saw many of the beautiful