On 4 and 5 December, in Sintra, in partnership with the regional tourism authority of Porto and Northern Portugal, the Route of the Romanesque will participate in the 8th edition of AR-PA – Iberian Biennial of Cultural Heritage.

Organised by Spira and promoted by the Municipality of Sintra and the Cultursintra Foundation, AR-PA 2025 is dedicated to the theme of Historic Centres, at a time when the Cultural Landscape of Sintra celebrates 30 years of classification as a World Heritage Site.

The various activities of AR-PA 2025 will take place at the Olga Cadaval Cultural Centre, MU.SA – Museum of Modern Art of Sintra and the Municipal Library of Sintra.

In the exhibition space, in addition to the Route of the Romanesque and Porto and Northern Portugal, AR-PA will feature 56 projects from more than 60 leading entities in the cultural heritage sector.

The event's programme, which is free and open to all, includes the International Heritage Talks, the Masterclass on Heritage Communication, the Innovation Point space, the Iberian Heritage Awards and numerous Heritage Education activities.

On Friday, 5th, in the Small Auditorium of the Olga Cadaval Centre, the live recording of the patrimonio.pt podcast, dedicated to the theme of Historic Centres, will feature five conversations with around 20 professionals.

One of the conversations, ‘Good Practices’, will be moderated by Rosário Correia Machado, director of the Route of the Romanesque and member of the AR-PA Advisory Board, and will feature Orlando Sousa (ICOMOS Portugal), a representative from Património Cultural, I.P., and Francisco Mendes Paula (National Association of Municipalities with Historic Centres).

AR-PA is the leading event in the cultural heritage sector in Portugal, a privileged meeting point and forum for debate for professionals and institutions dedicated to cultural heritage.

Its exhibition area, the diversity of scientific and professional activities and its social, recreational and educational programme result in a unique event, a benchmark in the sector, demonstrating how cultural heritage can be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for everyone.

AR-PA – Iberian Cultural Heritage Biennial is the result of the 2017 merger of the Biennial of Restoration and Heritage Management AR&PA (organised by the Regional Government of Castile and León), which has been held in Valladolid since 1998, with the Heritage Fair (organised by Spira), an event created in 2013 in Portugal.

The first edition of AR-PA with this Iberian format took place in the city of Amarante, between 13 and 15 October 2017, with the Route of the Romanesque as the promoting entity. The following editions took place in Loulé (2019), Leiria (2021) and Angra do Heroísmo (2023).

The event takes place alternately between Portugal (always itinerant, in odd-numbered years) and Spain (in Valladolid, in even-numbered years).