Journey into the world of Vista Alegre porcelain from an award-winning hotel in Ílhavo

Of enormous importance for the factory and the local community, the festivities were registered in the National Inventory of Intangible Heritage. In the program Festival in Honor of Our Lady of Penha de Francewhich runs until the 7th of July, includes book presentations, concerts, streets in the Bairro Operário and Largo da Fábrica, poetry, the raising of the flag, an illustration workshop o, children’s theater, the mass with the Orfeão da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de à lhavo, story sessions and a procession accompanied by the Banda dos Firefighters Voluntários de à lhavo – Música Nova and the Gafanhense Philharmonic Band.

Pinto Basto, an outstanding one

Two years after starting the factory, founder José Ferreira Pinto Basto opened a theater – which has a philharmonic and an orphean group – understanding that Vista Alegre workers “should have more sensitivity to the reasons in life, forcing them to know how to read music and play an instrument”. It was one of the signs that made Pinto Basto “an outstanding man†, the director of the Montebelo Vista Alegre à lhavo Hotel, Machado Matos, commented to Boa Cama Boa Mesa during his last visit to the unit and Vista Alegre.

After tasting his creations, visit the Vista Alegre museum and learn about the history of production, watching the painting part. Stop by the store (and also at the Bordallo Pinheiro space) and, to perfect your skills, take part in painting and modeling workshops in the old nursery. The factory also hosts artistic residencies, where the only premise is to work on the figure of a dog. Don’t forget to take a look at the renovated Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Penha de Franca, built in the 17th century by the bishop of Miranda, D. Manuel de Moura Manuel. The tomb that holds the bishop’s remains “is considered the best example of late Baroque,†observes Machado Matos, with the chapel and tomb classified as a National Monument. Admire the tiles, the paintings on the ceiling and notice the small balcony on the side of the altar: it was where the founder’s family watched the ceremonies, and is now accessible through a suite in the Founder’s Palace.