Coimbra
Known as the "city of students", Coimbra's history is closely linked to its university, which was founded in 1290 and is one of the oldest in Europe. In the Middle Ages, Coimbra was the capital of Portugal for more than a century, and, after the seat of the University had been transferred back and forth between Lisbon and Coimbra on several occasions, it finally came to be established here in the sixteenth century, being installed inside the Royal Palace at the top of the hill.
Here the daily life is marked by the students, who inject a special liveliness into the city through their academic traditions, with the highlight being the Festa da Queima das Fitas in May, an event that marks the end of the academic year. This celebration involves the final-year students burning their narrow ribbons in chamber pots (each faculty is represented by a different colour) and exchanging them for wider ones.
It is also the students, draped in their black academic gowns, who sing the Fado de Coimbra, a more erudite version than the one found in Lisbon, sung exclusively by male voices and played in a much more solemn fashion.
The city of Coimbra is divided into two distinct areas, the "baixa" (lower town) by the river, where most of the city's commercial activity is concentrated, and the "alta" (upper town), the older part, which is entered through the Arco de Almedina, a gateway that brings back memories of the Arab occupation, since "Medina" means city in Arabic. The upper town consists of steep narrow streets, where the "republics" (typical communal student residences) are to be found, as well as some of the city's most important buildings (Sé Velha (Old Cathedral), Sé Nova (New Cathedral), the University and the Casa de Sub-Ripas, a mansion with an impressive Manueline doorway).
Coimbra's unique appearance, dominated by the building and tower of the University at the top of the hill, may be admired as a harmonious whole from the other side of the river, but the city can only really be appreciated by walking through its streets. It deserves a lengthy stay, for as is said in a fado sung by the students, it has even "greater charm at the moment of farewell".
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