Arco da Almedina Watercolor on a Coimbra Afternoon
2025-03-04
Arco da Almedina Watercolor is my record of an entrance that’s had me hooked since my first visit to Coimbra. This narrow street leads straight into the old town. I grabbed a midweek holiday for a quick trip to Coimbra with my wife, who hadn’t been there yet. Over lunch, I opened my sketchbook and started the drawing.
I only used fineliner pens at first for this illustration. The lines of the street, the arch, the plants climbing up the stone, all done between one plate and the next.
Arco da Almedina Watercolor
The washes on this watercolor of the Arco da Almedina came later, back home, with more time to spare. This street has had me hooked since the first time I came to Coimbra. I keep imagining what all this looked like centuries ago.
People gathering right here, coming in and out of the city through this same narrow passage.
The History Behind the Arco da Almedina
The name Almedina comes from the Arabic al-madina, which simply means “the city”. It’s a direct legacy from the time Coimbra, and Portugal, spent under Moorish rule.
Back in the 12th century, this was the most important gate in the medieval wall. It was the only way in for anyone heading up to the upper town, where the castle and the old cathedral once stood. The pointed arch we see today came from a later rebuild, during the reign of D. Manuel. But the narrow passage, once closely guarded, has stayed the same since those days.
I really love these odd little corners of very old cities. The ones that keep this kind of architecture, tight streets, almost corridors, guiding people along paths that used to be closely watched.
Coimbra has that kind of charm. A city full of young students and, even so, full of tiny narrow streets and endless staircases. With so many people going up and down those corridors all day long, the city still feels completely alive.
I really love Coimbra, and sketching there. If there’s ever an urban sketching meetup around, I’ll try to make it. There’s always some new corner to discover, and this watercolor of the Arco da Almedina is proof I need to go back soon.