Aveiro - the Portuguese Venice was once a thriving port but the river silted up  creating an inhospitable marshy area. However  in the  19th century a canal was constructed to renew access to the sea and the area regenerated.
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There are saltpans and lagoons and what looked like a thriving port. We only paid a fleeting visit to check out the old town with its canals, and pretty buildings and were not disappointed.

We had intended to stay at an aire mentioned in the aires book available from Vicarious Books but managed to miss it and ended up in  nearby Costa Nova with its colourful buildings.

There is ample parking in the village with parking for autocaravanas clearly marked  but when we got  there it was clear that there was going to be a noisy event next to the parking so located to a nearby campsite in order to have a peaceful night.

We never did find that are.