Global Treasures: Porto

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

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Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1117

UPC: 879061007163

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Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and is the city from which the country derived its name.

At its centre is the Praca Da Liberdade, a large square that is guarded by a statue of King Dom Pedro IV. The Torre dos Clérigos is the symbol of Porto and in the middle of the 18th century, was built on a rock at the city's highest point.

Of particular interest is the remarkable external wall toward the east that is decorated with a huge example of the Portuguese art form known as 'azulejos'.

The tidal and deep-cut river valley of the Douro is spanned by four bridges, of which the most impressive is the iron-built, Ponte Dom Louis. The Frenchman, Gustave Eiffel, constructed this gigantic twin level bridge that connects Porto with its sister town, Vila Nova De Gaia.

Porto is a cultural capital of Europe whose glorious spirit of the past has managed to survive the centuries.