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Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 1)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 2)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 3)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 4)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 5)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 6)
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Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine: Cristina Emília Silva (Thumbnail)
Cristina Emília Silva
Lisbon, Porto

Cristina Emília Silva holds a PhD in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Porto (2016), and a degree in Architecture from the University of Coimbra (1999). Since 2006, she has co-authored projects at bau.uau arquitectura. A guest assistant professor and researcher at the Faculty of Architecture, she is the author of International Dissemination of Portuguese Architecture 1976–1988 and several articles. She also coordinates APJAR – Associação Pró-Arquitectura João Álvaro Rocha. Her work includes archiving, curating, editing and organising events on architecture. In 2004, she co-founded cultour, where much of this practice took shape.

Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine: João Paulo Correia (Thumbnail)
João Paulo Correia
Lisbon, Porto

João Paulo Correia, graduated in Industrial Engineering and Management in 1995. His professional work focuses on planning and managing municipal and metropolitan investment projects. He completed an MBA in Business Management at IEP and ESADE in 2001. He has collaborated in multidisciplinary teams developing urban and regional plans and regularly participates in institutional forums related to tourism. In 2004, together with Cristina Emília Silva and Maria da Conceição Melo, he founded the company Cultour.

Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine: Maria da Conceição Melo (Thumbnail)
Maria da Conceição Melo
Lisbon, Porto

Maria da Conceição Melo graduated in Architecture from the School of Fine Arts, University of Porto, in 1984, studying under Fernando Távora, Álvaro Siza and other Key figures of the Porto School. She holds a master’s degree from the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering of the University of Porto (1995) and works in planning and urban design. She was a visiting professor at the University of Minho’s School of Architecture. She served as President of the Northern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (2020–2023). In 2004 Melo co-founded cultour.

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Tour in Porto:
Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine

The Douro region offers a setting where contemporary Portuguese architecture can be experienced alongside long-established traditions of olive oil and wine production. Wineries are among the most expressive examples of this specificity, reflecting an approach to architecture rooted in the site. Porto, once the exit point for the wine that bears its name produced on the steep slopes of the Douro valley, is today the gateway to a wide range of wines and to a landscape recognised as the world’s oldest demarcated wine-growing area, mapped in 1756 by the Marquês de Pombal.

Visiting these estates reveals how each architect has addressed the region’s demanding topography and existing structures while creating environments suited to varied winemaking methods. Materials such as wood, cork and stone reinforce the connection between architecture and land. Classified as a World Heritage site since 2001, the Douro continues to inspire architectural responses shaped by long-standing agricultural practices, resilience and creativity.

Photo Credits: 1 (large) Fernando Guerra FG+SG; 2 Taboadella; 3 Fernando Guerra FG+SG; 4 NUDO; 5 cultour; 6 Fernando Guerra FG+SG

– Duration: Full-day tour
– Transport: Private bus
– Services: Experienced local architect as guide
– Languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese
– Group size: max. 20pax per guide

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Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 7)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 8)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 9)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 10)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 11)
Guiding Architects, tour: Douro: Landscape, Architecture and Wine (Fig. 12)
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