A figure from another time, the Tricana de Coimbra is the city’s iconic female symbol. She appears in Portuguese literature and local Fado songs, symbolising an image of the working-class woman, dressed in a traditional outfit. We can try to picture her by looking at the solid bronze contours of this statue. First, there's the heavy black wool skirt, layered over a white, embroidered petticoat with shoulder straps. The outfit is completed with a small apron, a blouse, a headscarf, black slippers, and most importantly, a shawl draped over one shoulder. Working as a maid in the city’s grand estates, the Tricana would always carry a clay or pewter jug with her. Every day, she fetched water from the Mondego River, and sold it to wealthy households or to passing travellers near the train station. Today, she lives on through regional folk groups. The Tricana de Coimbra continues to embody the city’s heritage, and the tender, wistful sense of nostalgia felt so deeply throughout Portugal.