The pool
Álvaro Siza's modernist masterpiece — concrete tidal pools carved seamlessly into the Atlantic rocks north of Porto.
Designed by Álvaro Siza between 1961 and 1966, the Piscina das Marés is one of the most celebrated works of 20th-century Portuguese architecture — a series of low concrete walls that turn the natural rock pools of Leça da Palmeira into two precisely framed swimming areas. The geometry is invisible from the road; from the water, it reveals itself as pure intention.
The pools fill from the Atlantic with each high tide and are emptied and cleaned weekly. The water is brisk; the walk down the long concrete ramp from the changing rooms is part of the ritual. UNESCO-listed since 2011, and rightly so.
