2020-06-01_Travel+Leisure

E X P E R I E N C E S

“As a kid, I spent every summer visiting

my extended family in Portugal,” says

New York City–based photographer

Armando Rafael. “Porto was always my

favorite city—there’s a grittiness, a raw

quality, but also a liveliness. I love walking

around without a specific agenda, seeing

if anything pops out.” On a recent trip for

T+L, something new caught Rafael’s eye.

“I toured around with an old army friend

of my father’s, who told me about Porto’s

history and showed me all the iconic Art

Deco buildings.” This Modernist movement,

having emerged from Paris a decade

earlier, exerted a strong influence on

Portuguese architects in the 1930s and

40s. Rafael wandered Baixa, the historic

center, shooting preserved masterworks

that have become beloved symbols of

Porto’s urban identity. “Now when I visit,

I always notice the fonts and façades.

I love those little moments of recognition.”

— As told to Hannah Walhout

LASTING

IMPRESSIONS

How studying the rich Art Deco heritage

of Porto, Portugal, helped photographer

ARMANDO RAFAEL see the historic

harbor city in a new light.

Cinema Batalha,

built between 1944

and 1947, is set to

reopen in 2021

after an extensive

renovation.

Casa de Serralves,

a mansion designed

for the Count of

Vizela in the 1930s

by Porto-born,

Paris-trained

architect José

Marques da Silva.

Coliseu do Porto,

which houses a theater

and concert hall,

opened in 1941.

The original

awning at

Armazéns Cunhas

department store.

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