Amarante Experience

A journey through Amadeo's imagination and his homeland

We head north to the city of Amarante. We will visit the historic center, its typical streets, the Convent of São Gonçalo, and the bridge over the Tâmega River. The church and cloister of São Gonçalo are the remaining parts of the old Dominican convent, founded in 1540, where we can admire the artistic style of that period. When religious orders were dissolved in the early 19th century, the convent became secular property. Over time, its spaces hosted the Town Hall, Court, Post Office and Telegraph, military barracks, tax offices, the Lyceum, the Town School, the Theater, and later a Cinema. In the late 1940s, the Municipal Library-Museum was installed in the cloister and nearby rooms. In 1953, the António Carneiro, António Cândido, and Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso Rooms opened. As time passed, Amadeo’s work gained national and international recognition and is now the main highlight of the Municipal Museum. His art marks the beginning of the modern era, showing influences from Cubism, Futurism, Expressionism, Abstraction, and early hints of Dadaism. We will also walk across the historic São Gonçalo Bridge to the old town, with a short stop to taste the region’s traditional sweet. The Tâmega and Sousa valleys, in northern Portugal, hold a unique Romanesque architectural heritage. This collection of 58 monuments reflects Portugal’s beginnings and the region’s important role in the history of the nobility and religious orders. Here, you’ll feel the magic of walking through places where, in the 12th century, three of the first five Portuguese noble families lived. Enjoy paths full of surprises, the harmony between nature and history, and the capitals, columns, arches, and decorative motifs that represent the finest Romanesque style in Portugal.