There are, it turns out, two Fados. The one most people know comes from Lisbon, sung by men and women in dim-lit taverns. The other belongs to Coimbra, performed only by men, university students and alumni, and began as late-night serenades to the Tricanas, the young women who hauled water up from the river. Fado ao Centro, tucked behind a wrought-iron balcony across from the Tricana statue, has been defending this distinction since 2011.

Founded by students and graduates of Portugal's oldest university, the cultural association hosts daily live performances, runs classes in classical and Portuguese guitar, and keeps a working luthier's workshop on the premises.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours use Fado ao Centro to untangle the two traditions, explaining why Coimbra's twelve-string guitar is tuned a full tone lower than Lisbon's and how centuries-old academic rituals still shape the city's music.