Under the umbrellas of Águeda

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Águeda sits on the Águeda and Alfusqueiro rivers, beside the main routes linking north and south and the coast with the interior, which gave it a mainly commercial character, later joined by industry. The council traces its founding to Celts, Turduli and Greeks around 370 BC, and megalithic monuments and the Cabeço do Vouga archaeological site, near the Roman military road from Olissipo to Bracara, show how long the area has been lived in. By the 11th century Águeda was a prosperous town with busy trade and a lively port, named in documents of 1050 and 1077 both as Casal Lousado and in Latinised forms such as Anegia, Agatha and Ágada. Unlike its neighbours, Águeda had no charter in the Middle Ages, as it was crown land and a domain of the monasteries of Lorvão and Vacariça. It was a stopping point on the Way of St James, and Queen Saint Isabel is said to have stayed at its pilgrims' hostel in 1325 on her way to Santiago de Compostela. Águeda became the seat of a municipality in 1834, after the liberal revolution, partly because of the military hospital that had treated those wounded in battle during the second French invasion, and it was made a city on 8 July 1985. In town, the Parque de Alta Vila owes its existence to Eduardo Caldeira (1848–1902) of the Casa da Borralha. Today Águeda is known internationally for the AgitÁgueda Art Festival, held every July, and for its colourful umbrellas: since 2012 the umbrella installation has hung over the streets between July and September, drawing thousands of visitors.

The craft beer scene in Águeda is still waiting to be discovered, so look at nearby places for craft beer bars and breweries.