One of the best books I’ve ever read!
This is one of those books that leaves us with a double sensation. On one hand, there is a desire to read it as quickly as possible until the end. On the other hand, we get the feeling that the faster we read it, the faster the pleasure of reading a book like this ends.
I confess that I am a bit suspicious to evaluate the book, given that Porto was the city that saw me born and the one where I have lived since then. The subtitle of the book could not be more correct and well applied: Porto is and always will be the gateway to the World.
Porto also turns out to be a World in a city, a city whose history is presented to us over the 350 or so pages that make up the book. And this is precisely another disadvantage: having only 350 pages.
Still, there are so many stories and stories, so many historical details, that I found myself learning many things I didn’t know about my city, about “Invicta”, about the city that gave Portugal its name.
The most curious thing about all this is that the book is written by a Professor who visited Porto, but never lived here. Still, he writes the book with a passion for the city that is transversal to all who come and visit Porto.
I tend to recommend the books I read, but this one I recommend even more.
Rating 4.7/5
Read in 2020