Gondomar

Gold filigree workshops and a Douro lunch in Gondomar

Gondomar makes a good day out from Porto: gold filigree in the morning, a Douro riverside lunch after. The town makes more than 40 percent of Portugal's gold jewellery, and many jewellers sell their own work. Reach it on metro line F to Fânzeres or by car, then head down to the riverside restaurants for lamprey or shad.

Morning: ride metro line F to Fânzeres, or drive out of Porto to Gondomar town, the centre of a trade that still produces more than 40 percent of Portugal's gold jewellery. Many jewellers here sell what they make. Ask to see filigree being worked: gold or silver wire twisted and soldered by hand into lace-like patterns, an old craft that still supports family workshops in the area.

Lunch: head down to the Douro bank. From late winter into spring the riverside restaurants put lamprey on the menu, usually stewed and served with rice, and weekend tables go fast, so book. At other times of year, order shad or another river fish.

Afternoon: drive east into the Parque das Serras do Porto, a range of wooded ridges shared with neighbouring Valongo and Paredes, and walk one of the marked trails. Paths climb steeply and turn muddy after rain.

Evening: return to Porto along the N108 as the light drops over the river, and you are back at the Ribeira for dinner.

Lamprey, shad and the river kitchens

Eat lamprey (lampreia) from roughly January or February into April and shad (sável) in spring, the two river fish that set Gondomar's food calendar. Lamprey is stewed in red wine and served as arroz de lampreia; shad is usually fried and served with açorda. Outside those months, order grilled fish or roast kid.

Food in Gondomar follows the Douro, and two migratory fish set the calendar. Lampreia, lamprey, swims upriver from the sea in late winter. Cooks stew it slowly in red wine and its own blood, then serve it as arroz de lampreia, a dark, rich rice that divides opinion. Locals treat its arrival as an event. Sável, shad, follows in spring and is usually fried, often with açorda, a soft, garlicky bread dish, alongside.

Lamprey is on menus only for a few months, roughly from January or February into April, so check before you make the trip. Outside those months, eat grilled fish, roast kid or the hearty northern dishes common across the Porto area, such as rojões, chunks of pork fried in lard with potatoes.

Look for restaurants in the riverside parishes along the Douro , away from the metro. Lunch is the sitting to aim for, particularly on weekends, and portions are generous enough to share.