A Vida Portuguesa – Unique Portuguese-Crafted Products for Your Life

By Gregorio | August 14, 2010 at 11:03 am | No comments | Cool Things, Lisbon, Porto, Shopping | Tags: chiado, Lisbon, Porto, shopping

So, you want to get that special someone a lovely momento of Portugal, but really, a refrigerator magnet of a cockrell, or a T-shirt with a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo, just isn’t what you are thinking? Step inside a unique shop filled with original and traditional Portuguese products, A Vida Portuguesa (The Portuguese Life).

A Vida Portuguesa Shop in Porto

Conceived by journalist Catarina Portas, the first A Vida Portuguesa shop, opened its doors in 2007 on a little hidden back street in Chiado, Lisbon. The store celebrates the Portuguese identity with old-style Portuguese products that are still manufactured today. Portas has since opened a second shop in Porto.

AVP Owner, Catarina Portas

Unique items like soaps, teas, toothpaste, bolts of fabric and cake forms are handmade, Portuguese-crafted or have been around forever. Each gift is wrapped in beautiful retro packages. For instance, a box of 3 soaps Claus Fantasia: Smart, Carnival & Foxtrot (€25.50) are creamy soaps made by Claus Porto, the oldest soap and perfume factory in the country. Each soap is stamped in high relief, and wrapped like a little jewel using a technique that requires patience and dedication. A glazed-by-hand pottery vase (€20.00) is from the Secla Vintage line. The Secla factory was built in 1947 in Caldas da Rainha and produced product between the 1950’s and 1970’s.