Figueira da Foz

In Figueira da Foz, the wide and blue sea has the mystery of colourful sails and stories with names of fishes.

And there are also the colourful umbrellas, boats laid down in the sun and fishermen weaving lines of wisdom.

And there are the round shaped dunes. And there are cliffs with strange forms given by the winds. From the sea we receive the secrets of other lands: there are sepia and blue-coloured Delft china tiles perhaps unloaded from a shipwreck, back in the days when the oceans seemed to be infinitely more mysterious and far-reaching.

The sea yields up its tales of pirates, of trading and of invasions: the old military fortifications have withstood the beating of the tides: the fort of Santa Catarina stands as a proud reminder of the days when danger came from the sea.

There are vestiges of human occupation right from the earliest days of pre-history but it was the sea that brought wealth to Figueira da Foz. A wealth that was needed to settle people here, with which churches and convents, palaces and theatres were built. Nevertheless, the sea remained a great enigma, a force to which prayers were offered and devotions made.

The natural history of this coastal region, carved out in previous ages, is prodigiously rich. But the sea is still hard at work in the creation of a fabulous scenery, wich we call Cape Mondego.