CAE Hall

At the mouth of the Mondego, on Portugal's Atlantic coast, Figueira da Foz opened its Centro de Artes e Espectáculos on 1 June 2002 to designs by Luís Marçal Grilo. The complex holds a main auditorium of 832 seats, a smaller room named for the film-maker João César Monteiro, an open-air amphitheatre and exhibition galleries; theatre, dance, cinema, opera and concerts run through the year for audiences from across the Coimbra region. An arts school, a youth choir and a jazz orchestra have grown up around the building. Verdi's Nabucco has been given on its main stage.