The Bolhão market reopened in 2022 after four years of construction works. The renovation has achieved its goal: the structure is functional and modern, all the while fully respecting the original architecture.
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00:00We are in the center of Porto, at the Mercado di Bulao.
00:06The shoppers here know they'll find fresh regional produce from friendly and cheerful stallholders.
00:16The market is an outstanding social hub.
00:24If you look at Porto as a tree, Bulao is one of the roots of the tree.
00:29Which has two things. First of all, the monumentality of the building itself, but then the monumentality of the people who work here.
00:43It reopened in 2022, after four years of renovations.
00:50Reworked from the ground up, the market is now a leader in health and hygiene standards and has become a popular tourist destination.
00:59The renovation of Bulao was a very desired process in the city. It was a complicated and difficult process.
01:08And so the renovation of the market was something that was very loved by the citizens.
01:13The project was led by young architect Nuno Valentin, who preserved the original architectural structure, while making the market modern and functional.
01:22His biggest challenge.
01:25Products are delivered in the underground car park, and the traders collect them personally.
01:47There are cold rooms, fridges, and lifts.
01:50Every day we have thousands and thousands of people.
01:57The people that didn't come back, the people from the city, from the Boa Vista, from the Maia, from Porto, everything came back.
02:08The market of Bulao represents for me my life.
02:12I'm very young, I have 54 years of this, it's what I like to do.
02:17The renovations cost 28 million euros, of which more than 22 million was financed by the European Union, and about 6 million by public funds.
02:29Proximity between the client and the owner, which is a much more direct relationship, a much closer relationship.
02:37Many times we see these ladies teaching clients how to cook their products.
02:42And we see the history of the city and the way to be Portuguese to cook.
02:47This social and cultural value is important for this market.