Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus are adamant when they say it is very interesting to work outside their home country of Portugal, but it is especially stimulating to return. In interviews, however, they have often pointed to the problems they are faced with when working in Portugal: lack of planning, overly restrictive regulations, very limited market for experimenting with new materials and systems, and vanishing craftsmanship. Yet they are positive that these challenges contribute to architecture?s continued improvement. This guidebook is both a reference to the numerous built works in Portugal by Aires Mateus and an itinerary spanning 21 cities, from north to south.