It might not be as breathtaking as many other major cathedrals in this part of the world, but every now and then functionality trumps all. Porto Cathedral (the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady, to be precise) is all sorts of beloved in the city, a major spot of influence that has directed traffic in Porto society since ground was broken way back in 1110. It took more than six hundred years to finish the thing, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and all that jazz. The cathedral is one of the city’s oldest monuments, but don’t be fooled by its somewhat humdrum Romantic exterior — the interior is drop dead gorgeous. The Azujelos are particularly spellbinding, as is the norm around here.