Discovering António Nobre

Engraved in a rock at Boa Nova Beach, there is an excerpt of a sonnet by António Nobre, a beloved poet from the region.

Born in Porto, on rua de Santa Catarina in August 1867, it was in Leça da Palmeira that Nobre spent his childhood and adolescence, where his father, emigrated from Brazil, had a farm. This is where the author of ‘Só’ (Alone) wrote most of his poetic work, and Leça did not spare any tributes.

In addition to the sonnet engraved in stone — “Na praia lá da Boa Nova, um dia/ Edifiquei (foi esse o grande mal)/Alto Castelo, o que é a fantasia,/Todo de lápis-lazulli e coral!” (On Boa Nova beach, one day/ I built (that was the big mistake)/ A tall castle, which is fantasy,/ All in lapis-lazuli and coral!) — there are also sculptures representing the poet and his inspiring muses, by the sculptor Barata Feyo, from 1974; a bust of the poet in Largo António Nobre, adjoining the street where he lived; a park with his name; as well as a monument designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira near Boa Nova Beach.