Vistas sobre o Rio Douro em frente ao Palácio das Sereias

The Casa da Sereias is located at the Bandeirinha Street, The old Jews hill. The name which the house is known for (mermaid house) comes from the two exotic and gigantic mermaids that side the doorway. It is characterized by a simple architecture, except the magnificently sculpted façade, divided in three parts separated by pilasters, as well as the front extremes which simulate turrets crowned with battlements, delimited by pilasters that go up from the ground floor till the top. The Portocarrera family abandoned this palace in 1809, when the population murdered their sun thinking he was involved with the French invaders. Since that time, the palace remained close until 1955, being then sold to the Sisters of Charity Institute that established the college Casa Madalena de Canossa there, which still works nowadays. The particular localization of this building makes him an obligatory stopping point to all who enjoy the hidden corners of Porto, which offers us the blue of the Douro and the cascades of houses that colonize the river banks.