Photo: Manuel de Sousa · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Arqueossítio da Rua de D. Hugo

Archaeological site on the Penaventosa hill, next to the Sé, with twenty layers of occupation from the Iron Age to the present; free admission.

Opening hoursFree admission

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About the museum

The Arqueossítio da Rua de D. Hugo, no. 5, reveals a hidden city on the Penaventosa hill, next to the Sé (cathedral), in the heart of Porto. In just three metres of depth, twenty archaeological layers have been identified, with architectural ruins and finds ranging from the 5th–4th centuries BC to the present day.

The archaeological work carried out on the site between 1984 and 1987 was decisive for understanding the city's history, as it revealed for the first time traces of the proto-historic castro (hillfort) and of the Roman city of Cale that succeeded it, as well as of the Suevic-Visigothic and early medieval periods, when Portucale was raised to a diocese at the end of the 6th century.

The space is the result of a dialogue between architecture and archaeology and works as a window onto the city's continuous reconstruction since the Iron Age. A section of the Romanesque city wall of Porto stands out, surviving in hidden form in the urban landscape. The archaeological site is one of the stations of the Museu do Porto.

Highlights

Twenty archaeological layers within three metres of depth
Traces of the proto-historic castro and of the Roman city of Cale
Section of the Romanesque city wall of Porto
Occupation from the Iron Age to the present

Permanent exhibition

Arqueossítio da Rua de D. Hugo – Visit to the archaeological layers of the Penaventosa hill, with ruins from the Iron Age and a section of the Romanesque city wall.