The poets portray Portugal as a vast strip of land with a smile on the estuary. But behind this welcoming air hides a formidable conqueror. For several centuries, Portugal was the land of the Great Discoveries. The explorers and great navigators had for point of departure its ports, mirrors of the maritime power of the country. On the banks of the Tagus, at the mouth of the Douro, or facing the ocean, gold, spices and cultures were exchanged.
