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Santana Street is one of the oldest streets of Porto! It got its name from the ancient door on the primitive defensive wall that used to be here. This wall was originally built during the Roman occupation and rebuilt in the 12th century – when the bishop D. Hugo was ruling the city. This is where the city of Porto was born!
Around 1821 and after the expansion to the Ribeira area, the wall was demolished and there’s no remain of it today. But on Santana Street you can still see the altar made in honor of Saint Ana, usually decorated with flowers and candles, which is a subtle reminder of ancient Porto. The street was also the scenery of a famous romance wrote in 1845 by Almeida Garrett, namely O Arco de Sant’Ana (Sant’Ana’s arch).
Nowadays Santana Street is one beautiful gem in the heart of the city. It’s on the itinerary between Sé Cathedral, São Lorenço church, and the riverside, but in an area which is still overlooked so it’s not filled with stores and people.
If you happen to be at Santana Street and in need of a place to sit down and relax, or maybe if you’re looking for a place to taste local petiscos and wine, Português da Gema is a good choice! At Santana Street No. 33 you can visit this charming place, which is a mix of restaurant and fine grocery store. There you can have nice food, local wines and still buy some original local products to take back home with you! Besides being a place full of charm, it’s also a social enterprise that helps people with a past of social exclusion, helped by a local NGO (named Serviços de Assistência Organizações de Maria – SAOM).
We hope you liked to learn about Santana Street! And to find ou more about other streets of Porto, check here our older posts.
And remember: to truly discover the city from a local’s perspective, book a tour with us! We will show you all the hidden gems of our beloved city :)
Photos: VisitPorto.travel|Wikipedia
