Centuries ago royals, nobles, and charlatans forgot all rules of decency during the famous and infamous Carnival of Venice, safely hidden behind masks. Still, revellers in richly decorated costumes parade through the streets of the northern Italian city during nearly two weeks of the carnival in February.
The azulejos route takes me further into Centro de Portugal. I discovered two beautiful cities: Coimbra, the oldest university town, and Aveiro or the ‘Venice’ of Portugal.
If you’ve ever been in Portugal, you may have noticed the numerous azulejos, the beautiful tiles on Portuguese houses and churches, especially along the coast. But other types of ceramics and porcelain are as popular in Portugal. I went to investigate. My journey starts in Caldas da Rainha.
