The Ceramics
Portugese ceramics have always been of the highest quality in the world. Here in Porto we stumbled upon this particular store that was offering some extraordinaly ceramic wares and works of art. The name of the company is Vista Alegre Atlantis. Their store is located under the tower on the left side of the historic building on the center right in this photo.
This is their store from the street level. Lets go inside and take a look around.
The store itself is in beautifully restored space on the ground floor of this building.
The superior quality of their products was instantly obvious to us. Not only the production but also the design of their pieces. Some classical, others avant garde.
We struck up a conversation with the manager and learned some of the history and background of Vista Alegre. Founded in 1815, they began production on a newly purchased mansion Quinta da Ermida, located in the country near the town of Llhavo. Today they have a full factory there, producing hand made works for the world market. Priding itself on using the latest technology coupled with the best artists from around the world, Vista Alegre has won top international awards. We found this to be too interesting to pass by, so we decided to launch out on a day trip to find this factory.
After several hours of exploring we eventually found the town of Llhavo, and then the Vista Alegre factory nearby. The complex was really like a Portuguese plantation right out of a history book. Many of the buildings dated back well over 200 years. The complex is self sustaining in that it has homes and dormitories for the workers, a large church, hospital, factory buildings, and retail store.
The compound, or plantation is simply beautiful.
The home of the head of the labor force.
The ceramics outlet store in in the building to the left. The two-story building beyond is one of the factory buildings.
This is their outlet store for sale of their products. Lots of beautiful bargains.