Send Gift Baskets to Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

Vila Nova de Gaia already existed under the Roman Empire as the city of Cale. After a Celtic village or other Neolithic settlement, it developed into its current form. There’s a Celtic root, “Gall-” that Celts refer to themselves with. Cale is likely derived from that, given the shared sounds between this word and the words Gallia (Latin: Gaul) and Galician. The river’s name is the Celtic Douro, which means “deep water, water or river.” A much more significant portion of the population likely lived on the south side of the Douro during Roman times, and a smaller settlement existed on the north side around the deep water port, now Ribeira in Porto. In the high medieval times, the port city had the name “Portus Cale” (Latin for “port” and “Cale”). Role of the important trade of the Douro river, which is easily navigable up to the Régua deep inland- Porto ended up as the essential part of town with a Bishopric and merchants established.

With the Moorish invasions in the 8th century, the Christianity vs. Islam divide was primarily centered around Eastern Spain. Being constantly raided and counter-raved, the town of Cale or Gaia was deserted, and most inhabitants found refuge in Porto on the North side of the river. During this time period, the 10th century, the late medieval Legend of Gaia takes place.

After capturing the south side of the Douro River in 1035, with the departure or expulsion of Muslim people from that area, a group of colonists from northern Portugal settled in exchange for better lands. These migrants refounded the old city of Gaia under a new name, Vila Nova de Gaia (new town of Gaia), around the old castle and ruins of “old Gaia.”

Contemporary documents frequently referred to the name of the double city of Porto and Gaia as “villa de Portucale,” and it was not uncommon for the county that lay within the Kingdom of León, centered around it, to be given this moniker as well. After gaining its independence, this county expanded and became the Kingdom of Portugal.