PORTO AND NORTH CONNECT TO SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA THROUGH ART

‘Caminho da Arte’ (art route) brings to Porto and Northern Portugal and Galicia a 261 km route of contemporary art between the Porto Cathedral and the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral - hosting works by national and international artists along the way.

The project took a big step forward with the signing of the protocol that unites the Portuguese municipalities that the Camino travels through, the Northern Regional Directorate of Culture, Tourism of Porto and Northern Portugal, and Lionesa - Association of Art, Culture, and Tourism.

The session took place on January 16th, at 11 am, at the headquarters of Tourism Porto and Norte, in Santiago da Barra Castle, Viana do Castelo. Caminho da Arte, a project promoted by the Livraria Lello Foundation, aims to connect Porto to Santiago de Compostela through contemporary art, thus creating the longest and most visited art stage in the world, with over 260 km.

"It's exactly 261 kilometers of a path that aims to enhance the Way of St. James, adding to it the sense and meaning of contemporary art in our 21st century, and at the same time, enhancing the Portuguese territory and the economic development of the project's partner municipalities," said Paula Silva, former project coordinator.

"The Camino is above all a spiritual journey, and therefore the project aims to 'adapt the inducers along the way to all motivations for this personal journey, whether it be individual, academic, or even professional'," adds Paula Silva.

The protocol for the implementation of the ‘Caminho da Arte’ was signed by the Livraria Lello Foundation and the municipalities of Esposende, Maia, Matosinhos, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Valença, Viana do Castelo, Vila do Conde, and Vila Nova de Cerveira, the Northern Regional Directorate of Culture, and Tourism Porto and Norte.