Coimbra
Rich in tradition, the old University town of Coimbra (altitude: 75-100m/250-330ft), principal town of its own district and the see of a bishop, lies halfway between Lisbon and Oporto in the hilly country of Beira Litoral. It is built on the right bank of the Rio Mondego, here skirting the chalk hills of the Serra de Lorvao.
The 18,000 or so Coimbra University students are very much a feature of life in the town. Bareheaded, they wear a long black robe (batina) under a black cape (capa), with facings of different colors for the various faculties. On the occasion of the Queima das Fitas, the examination celebrations held in the middle of May, these facings are ceremonially burned as part of a giant spectacle. |
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