The Vale of Campanhã

As poetically-inclined as the word suggests, we want to bring you to the green threshold to Porto's Forgotten Double-Valley

Tucked away from the city's bustle and shadowed by the steeper slopes of Bonfim, which we often call Eastern Porto, but, actually, a central part of town, the Parque Oriental do Porto and the Rio Tinto unfold like a whispered secret in the heart of the Vale of Campanhã. Here, in this double valley erstwhile farmland made fertile by many floods, nature speaks softly but with purpose: in the rustle of poplars and pines, the laughter of water skipping over stones, and the quiet tread of those who walk its winding paths.
Once a corridor of industry and railway lines, the eastern valley is being reborn—not by erasing its past, but by letting it breathe anew. And this could have been our tour, setting from the upper reaches of Rio Tinto down to Freixo.
However, we want to go beyond the threshold and bring you to the secluded valley of Rio Torto, where a new nature project is emerging. This is a meeting ground where Porto’s wild side slips through the cracks of urban growth into the first stretches of Gondomar. Criss-crossing between and another, we trace not only trails but stories.
This is a journey not of landmarks, but of transitions—between city and nature, past and present, forgetfulness and renewal. Come and walk the valley, and you’ll see: Porto isn’t just west of here. It’s also growing eastward, through roots and trails and stories rising from the ground, people whose lives are unsung yet remarkable.
Nevertheless, beware, after completing this tour, you will never see Porto the same way again, it might spoil downtown for as this is where the city hits home, where you cut your teeth as a local, by birth or adoption.

Date: Saturday, 17th of May 2025
Start: Metro Station of Levada (orange line)
End: Marina do Freixo
Distance: 7km/ 4,4 miles (one way)
Time: 14h30 -18h30
Donation: €20 ( free for children) - we will offer you a little picnic, something savoury, something sweet but always scrumptious, and there will also provide something to drink as well, so this helps to cover the cost.

As this tour implies certain logistics, buying perishable products, please do let us know you’re coming, we need to have an idea who’s coming, so there’s not unnecessary wastage. ‘Nothing too much, just a message via [architectoursporto@gmail.com](mailto:architectoursporto@gmail.com) or by SMS/WhatsApp +351910430259, saying you’re planning to attend. 😊
Thank you!