On the trail

Ascend the cobbled streets of Portugal’s former capital to find history, art and architecture around every corner Words: Nora Wallaya

Coimbra’s lavish art and architecture

1 SÉ VELHA

Start off at the old cathedral and marvel at its fierce granite exterior. It owes its hulking form to the 12th-century planners who incorporated fortifications such as crenellations and narrow windows into their churches due to the threat of Moorish invasion. Take note — this grand old church is among the last-remaining examples of Portuguese-Romanesque architecture in the country.

2 UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA

Wander your way uphill to Coimbra’s 13th-century university, the oldest in the Portuguese-speaking world.

It’s packed with treasures, including the Capelo de São Miguel’s azulejo tiles. Wander the courtyard with its clockand bell-tower, and don’t miss the collection of scientific instruments in the Museu da Ciência, or the lavish Great Hall of Acts, decked in red velvet.

3 JOHANNINE LIBRARY

Bibliophiles will love this 18thcentury baroque library. The university’s crowning glory, it’s spread over three floors, but the star of the show is the Noble Room: all exquisite chinoiserie bookshelves, gilded coving and trompe-l’oeil ceiling paintings. Lose yourself amid 60,000 volumes preserved by both strict entry regulations and a 250-yearold bat colony that picks off paper-nipping insects at night.

4 BOTANICAL GARDEN

Tumbling down from the university to the Mondego River, the 32-acre Botanic Garden is a sanctuary from the midday blaze as much as it is an outdoor classroom for students of medicine and natural sciences at the university. The large 19thcentury glasshouse is one of Portugal’s oldest iron structures — check out the carnivorous plants, orchids and other tropical species there.

5 SEMINÁRIO MAIOR DE COIMBRA

Veer off the tourist trail to this old seminary, which houses an important collection of 18th-century Italian art, and a museum dedicated to Portuguese priest and artist Nunes Pereira, whose intricate woodcuts are locally adored. There’s a classroom decorated with duck-egg blue azulejos, an historic library housing some 9,000 books, a chapel and episcopal lodgings to explore.

6 MONASTERY OF SANTA CLARA-A-VELHA

Cross the Mondego and wander this old monastery and nuns’ quarters, which date back to the 14th century. They were finally abandoned in the 17th century after frequent flooding and after an extensive restoration in 1995, remarkably intact stonework and original tiling was revealed. Stop by the visitor centre to admire some of the relics unearthed during the restoration.