4 Best Sights in Northern Portugal, Portugal

The former monastery cloisters now house this municipal museum and its excellent collection of modern Portuguese art, including important works by locally born modernist painter Souza-Cardoso. He pursued variations of fauvism, cubism, futurism, and other avant-garde tendencies, in 1906 sharing an apartment with fellow painter Amedeo Modigliani in Paris. He returned to Portugal in 1914 and died four years later at the age of 31. The museum also has some interesting archaeological pieces---the star attractions are the diabos (devils), a pair of 19th-century carved wooden figures connected with ancient fertility rites. They were venerated on St. Bartholomew's Day (August 24), when the devil was thought to run loose. In 1870, the Archbishop of Braga ordered them burned because of their pagan function. The São Gonçalo friars didn't go that far, but they did emasculate the male diabo.

Locally born artist José de Guimarães is known for his often large, colorful creations and love of art from other continents. This huge arts center, inaugurated in 2021, showcases not only a representative selection of his own works but also his large collection of African, pre-Columbian, and ancient Chinese art. A focus on the relationships between contemporary art and these traditions often features in the always stimulating temporary exhibitions.

Chaves-born Nadir Afonso (1920–2013) worked as an architect with the likes of Le Corbusier and Oscar Niemeyer, and also made waves as a painter. Many of his most important works are on display at this sleek museum, designed by his still more famous compatriot, Álvaro Siza Vieira.

A 10-minute walk west from the Praça da República takes you to the impressive mansion that houses the beautiful Museu de Artes Decorativas. The early-18th-century interior has been carefully preserved, including some lovely tile panels. The collection of 17th-century ceramics and ornate period furniture shows how wealthy many of Viana's merchants were.