Venue

The Conference will be held in Porto, Portugal, know all over the world to receive high quality events, like this one.

Porto is one of the most ancient cities of Europe, with an unequaled landscape, combining harmony with the urban structure and presenting a frame of rare beauty.

The historic center of the city was classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1996.
Inside the area cover by the Fernandin Walls you can see the most beatiful and historic monuments of the city.

One of the most incredible monument is the Church of “Nossa Senhora do Carmo”, with a lateral wall cover with tiles (mosaics).

Among the many monuments of the city the Clerics Tower, Santa Clara Church and São Francisco Church, the last two as ones with most worked, majestic and beautiful interiors from the XVIII century, are some of the of the ancient architectures that you must visit.

The Porto has too a number of outstanding buildings. One of them is the Stock Exchange building from the XIX century. Inside it has two special rooms: the “Pátio das Nações” room with a large skylight that is a magnificent example of iron architecture and flags of most of the countries that had trade relations with Porto and the ornate Arab Room, an oval chamber that attempted to copy Granada’s Alhambra Palace.

Others are the São Bento railway station considered one of 16 most beautiful railway stations in the world by the Travel and Leisure magazine and the Lello bookstore seen by The Gardian as the third most beautiful bookshop in the world.

The “Ribeira”, is delightful, with narrow streets, typical and picturesque houses recently restored, and excellent bars and restaurants with typical food.

The well-known “Francesinha” was distinguished by AOL Travel Site as one of the top ten sandwiches in the world. In Porto you can also taste Porto Style Tripe and the “bacalhau (cod) à Gomes de Sá” witch are also much appreciated in this region.

Porto is known too for the excellent and world renowned wine, the Porto wine.
This wine is produced at vineyards cultivated in terraces in the slopes shale, the cradle of the best wines in the world, witch create a landscape out of the ordinary.
The importance of the Porto wine was such that in 1756 Marquis of Pombal created the Douro Region, the first selected Wine Region of the world.

Part of the region crossed by Douro river was classified as World Heritage by UNESCO in 2001 under the name of the “Região Vinhateira do Alto Douro” (Alto Douro wine region).
The region produces white and black graves, that in September are collected and transported, until 1950, downriver in flat-bottom boats called “barcos rabelos”,to be processed and stored in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto).

Porto wine is divided into two primary categories: wines matured in sealed glass bottles and wines matured in wooden barrels.
There is another category called special category, for grapes created in special climatic conditions (Reserva, LBV (late Bottled Vintage), Tawnies envelhecidos, Vintage and Colheita).
European contries serve Porto wine (Tawny and white) as aperitifs, but in other regions is served as a dessert wine and with cheese (traditionally stilton).

À vossa Saúde!
Salut!
A votre Santé!
Prost!
Cheers!
Na zdrowie!
Salute!
Kanpai!

Hope to see you in Porto, in 2013.
See you there.