Brazzil
February 1999
TourismExuding
CultureOlinda is a living city always in a celebration mood with bohemian quarters, art galleries, museums, and music in the streets. If you are driving with an out-of-state license plate, wearing a backpack or dawdling in front of a church, you'll be approached by a kid offering his or her services as a guide.
Beautiful Olinda, placed on a hill overlooking Recife and the Atlantic, is one of the largest and bestpreserved colonial cities in Brazil. Although many of the buildings in Olinda were originally constructed in the 16th century, the Dutch burnt virtually everything in 1631. Consequently, most of what you now see has been reconstructed at a later date.
While Recife plays the role of an administrative and economic center, Olinda is recognized as its cultural counterpart: a living city with bohemian quarters, art galleries, museums, music in the streets and always some kind of celebration in the works.
Orientation
Olinda is six km north of Recife. The historical district, which constitutes about 10% of the city, is concentrated around the upper streets of the hill and is easily visited on foot. The beaches immediately adjacent to the city, Milagres for example, suffer from pollution and swimming is not recommended.
Casa Caiada, the district at the foot of the hill, has several restaurants.
Throughout Olinda you'll no doubt hear the cry guia (guide). Olinda has more kids throwing their services at you than anywhere in Brazil. If you are driving with an outof-state license plate, wearing a backpack or dawdling in front of a church, you'll be approached. If you do take a guide, make sure the price is fixed before you start the tour
Information
Tourist Office
Whatever services you don't find in Olinda you can secure in Recife (e.g. airline offices and carrental agencies). The main tourist office (429-1039), at Rua do Sol 127 (in the grounds of the Hotel Pousada São Francisco), has maps, walkingtour brochures and information about art exhibits and music performances. The office is from 8 am to 1.30 pm Monday to Friday.
Money
The Banco do Brasil is on Avenida Getúlio Vargas. Take a bus marked `Ouro Preto' from Praça do Carmo to the Bank Itaú stop, then walk about 100 meters further north.
Post & Telephone
The main post office, on Praça do Carmo, offers a posta restante service (CEP: 53001970). International telephone calls can be made at the TELPE office nearby.
Walking Tour
Starting at Praça do Carmo, visit Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo (1580), which reopened recently after restoration. Then follow Rua de São Francisco to Convento São Francisco (1585), which is a large structure containing three elements: the convent, the Capela de São Roque (chapel) and the Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Neves (church)—approximate daily opening hours for these are 8 to 11.30 am and 2 to 4.30 pm.
At the end of the street, turn left onto Rua Frei Afonso Maria and you'll see the Seminário de Olinda and Igreja Nossa Senhora da Graça (1549) on the hill above. Daily visiting hours are from 8 to 11.30 am and from 3 to 4:30 pm.
Continue up the street and then onto Rua Bispo Coutinho. Climb up to Alto da Sé, (`Cathedral Heights'), which is a good spot to enjoy the superb views of Olinda and Recife. There are outdoor restaurants, and a small craft market with woodcarvings, figurines and jewelry. The imposing Igreja da Sé (1537) is open from 8 am to noon on Saturday and Sunday.
Continue a short distance along Rua Bispo Coutinho until you see the Museu de Arte Sacra de Pernambuco (MASPE) on your right. MASPE is housed in a building, constructed in 1696, that once functioned as Olinda's Episcopal Palace & Câmara (Government Council). The museum contains a good collection of sacred art and a photographic homage to the city. It's open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 am to 2 pm.
About 75 meters further down the street, turn right into a patio to visit Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição (1585).
Retrace your steps and continue down the street, now named Ladeira da Misericórdia, to Igreja da Misericórdia (1540), which has fine azulejos and gilded carvings inside. It's open daily from 8 to 11.30 am and 2 to 5 pm.
From here, turn right onto Rua Saldanha Marinho to see Igreja Nossa Senhora do Amparo (1613), which is currently under renovation.
Descend Rua do Amparo until you see the Museu do Mamulenco on your right. The museum houses a colorful collection of antique wooden puppets, which chart the history of puppetry in theatre and education in the Northeast. A few doors down, at Rua do Amparo 45, is the house of Sílvio Botelho, the creator of the Bonecos Gigantes de Olinda, giant papier-mâché puppets which are used in Carnaval festivities. You should be able to pop your head in to watch him at work.
Continue along Rua do Amparo to join Rua 13 de Maio to see the Museu de Arte Contemporânea (MAC). This museum of contemporary art is recommended for its permanent and temporary exhibits. The museum is housed in an 18thcentury ajube, a jail used by the Catholic Church during the Inquisition—with its new paint job it's hard to imagine its grim past. It's open Tuesday to Friday from 9 am to noon and 2 to 5 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 pm.
Rua 13 de Maio continues in a tight curve to a junction with Rua Bernardo Vieira de Melo and Rua São Bento. If you turn left here up Rua Bernardo de Melo, you'll come to Mercado da Ribeira, an 18thcentury structure that is now home to art galleries and souvenir shops. If you retrace your steps down to Rua São Bento, you'll reach the huge Mosteiro de São Bento (1582), which has some exceptional woodcarving in the chapel. Brazil's first law school was housed here for 24 years (it's difficult to say what lawyers actually did in colonial Brazil, but it had little to do with justice). The monastery is open daily from 8 to 11 am and 2 to 5 pm.
Beaches
The city beaches are polluted, and not recommended for swimming. However, there are many excellent beaches north of Olinda, which are described later in this chapter.
Olinda's Carnaval has been very popular with Brazilians and travelers for several years. The historic setting combined with the fact that so many residents know each other provides an intimacy and security that you don't get in the bigcity Carnavals. It's a participatory Carnaval: costumed blocos parade through the city dancing to frevo music and everyone else follows.
In recent years, there have been complaints of commercialization creeping into Olinda's Carnaval. On the other hand Recife's Carnaval has been getting better reviews lately. Since the two cities are so close, you could try out both of them. Publications with full information on Carnaval schedules and events are supplied by the tourist office in Olinda.
Carnaval in Olinda lasts a full 11 days. There are organized Carnaval events, including balls (of course), a night of samba and a night of afoxé, but everything else happens in impromptu fashion on the streets. The official opening events—with the pomp and ceremony of the Olympic games—commence with a bloco of more the 400 `virgins' (men in drag), and awards for the most beautiful, the most risqué and for the biggest prude.
Everyone dresses for the Carnaval, so you'll want some sort of costume. The Carnaval groups of thousands dance the frevo through the narrow streets. It's playful and very lewd. Five separate areas have orchestras playing nonstop from 8 pm to 6 am nightly.
Apart from Carnaval, we also highly recommend the festival known as Folclore Nordestino, held at the end of August, which features dance, music and folklore from many parts of the Northeast.
Places to Stay
The main choice to make regarding accommodation is whether you want to stay in the old city, which has fewer hotels, or north of town, near the beaches at Bairro Novo or Farol. If you want to stay in Olinda during Carnaval, reserve several months in advance and be prepared for massive price hikes. During summer, prices are up to 30% higher as well.
For long stays outside high season (mid-December to March), the transport company Viagens Sob O Sol (4293303; mobile 9718102), at Rua Prudente de Moraes 424 (opposite Pousada dos Quatro Cantos), lets a beach apartment (capacity of five people) for $170 per week.
Places to Eat
The old city has a variety of restaurants tucked away in its cobbled streets—some are pricey, but there are usually a few reasonably priced dishes on the menu.
Cantinho da Sé has a great view from Alto da Sé, but it's a bit of a trap. Ponto 274, at Rua São Bento 274, is a garden restaurant with tasty, homecooked fish, chicken and beef dishes for $7 to $10. The service is comically disorganized (our waiter spilt three drinks during our meal, mixed up several orders and changed her outfit three times!)—so it helps if you're not in a hurry. In a more expensive range is Mourisco, one of Olinda's best fish restaurants—although the servings are large and enough for two. A few doors away, at Rua 27 de Janeiro 65, Viva Zapata is a stylish Mexican restaurant open Thursday to Sunday from 7 pm to midnight. Oficina do Sabor, at Rua do Amparo 329, is an elegant place with views—it could be worth a splurge. The Pousada Flor de Manhã has greatvalue seafood and salad dishes for around $6—Luís has been known to cook up a storm.
For the flavors of France, there's a cute creperie at Rua 13 de Maio 3, and Olinda's finedining capital, Restaurante L'Atelier (4293099), at Rua Bernardo Vieira de Melo 91.
Down on Praça do Carmo, John's Café is a friendly café serving homemade pies, pastries and delicious ice cream. Nearby Pizzaria Leque Moleque, on Rua Manoel Ribeiro, has greatvalue pizzas in a nice outdoor setting—it's a pity about the woeful `live' music at night.
Along the beachfront, opposite the post office, try Donana, at Praça João Pessoa 55, for Bahian food.
Out in Barra Novo, Restaurant Taipei, at Avenida Marcos Freire 1161, has passable Chinese food.
Entertainment
There are several music bars and a live-music venue in the old town, near Pousada Quatro Cantos, that are busy on the weekends. Alto da Sé has bars/restaurants that open late with live music.
Closer to the beach, Atlântico, on Praça do Carmo, has live frevo and samba music and dancing until daylight over the weekend, or there's Pub Poco Loco, at Rua do Sol 225, and Fruta Pão, at Rua do Sol 349. A nearby nightspot for music and dancing is Las Vegas, at Avenida Marcos Freire 1571.
On Friday and Saturday nights the beach restaurant/bars north of town come to life.
The Ciranda de Dona Duda, on Janga beach is famous for its participatory ciranda (round dance). The market at Milagres beach has a folkmusic show Tuesday night.
Getting Around
Viagens Sob O Sol (4293303, mobile 9718102), opposite Pousada dos Quatro Cantos, has a variety of vehicles for hire, with or without guide/driver. This is an interesting option if you can form a group of four or more. Trips can be arranged to Porto de Galinhas, Itamaracá, Caruaru, Fazenda Nova (Nova Jerusalém), Olaria Brennand and various art and handicraft showrooms. Sample prices for a minibus (maximum eight passengers) are $15 per person (minimum four) for trips along the coast to Itamaracá or Porto de Galinhas. A good deal is offered for transport to the airport—$15 for up to five people. The company is run by two affable `ghostbuster' lookalikes, Mauro and Felipe, who are always keen to embark on `night sorties', trips to remote beaches or any other wild schemes!
Pousada Flor de Manhã organizes several day trips each week to Porto de Galinhas and other beaches.
To/From Recife
The main bus stop in Olinda is on Praça do Carmo. Buses marked `Rio Doce/Conde da Boa Vista' and `Casa Caiada' go to the center of Recife. Taxis cost about $6. From Recife, take any `Rio Doce', `Casa Caiada' or `Jardim Atlântico' bus to Olinda.
To/From Boa Viagem
Buses marked `Rio Doce/Piedade' go to Boa Viagem ($0.80).
BEACHES NORTH OF OLINDA
You've got to get out of town for a fine, clean beach. Head north to Janga beach (eight km) or at least Rio Doce (six km), and beyond to Praia do Ó (12 km), Praia do Pau Amarelo (14 km), Praia da Conceição (17 km) and Praia da Maria Farinha (23 km). The road goes along close to the beach, but don't be deterred by the ugly development beside the road: the beaches are generally undisturbed except for barracas and crowds on weekends. Enjoy the local siri (small crab) and caranguejo (big crab) at the barracas. There are local buses to these beaches from Praça do Carmo.
IGARASSU
One of the oldest cities in Brazil, Igarassu is 35 km north of Recife and 20 km shy of Ilha de Itamaracá Igarassu is small, untouristed and full of colonial buildings
History
On 27 September 1535, the day of Saints Cosme and Damião, it was a busy day for town hero Duarte Coelho and his men. They managed to fight off both the Potiguar Indians at the mouth of the Rio Igarassu and the French pirates offshore. Later in the afternoon, after a big meal, Duarte Coelho founded the village, naming it São Cosme e Damião in honor of the saints. It later came to be known as Igarassu.
Information
Igarassu's tourist office (5430435), at Praça da Bandeira 42, has brochures and beautiful free posters. It's open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Historic Section
Walking up the hill to the historic section, you'll find Igreja dos Santos Cosme e Damião, which dates back to the foundation of Igarassu and is the oldest church still standing in Pernambuco state. Next door, on Largo São Cosme e São Damião, the Museu Histórico de Igarassu (city museum) displays sacred art, weapons and furniture from noble families. It's open from 8 am to 2 pm Tuesday to Sunday.
The Convento de Santo Antônio (1588), on Avenida Hermes, contains the Museu Pinacoteca (art museum), which has paintings depicting folk tales and popular legends. The convent and museum have recently been superbly restored and are well worth a visit. Both are open Tuesday to Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm.
Festivals
On 27 September, the Festa dos Santos Cosme e Damião celebrates the founding of Igarassu and honors its patron saints with Bumba Meu Boi and the ciranda dance (which actually originated in Itamaracá). The Festa do Coco is held during the last week of November.
AROUND IGARASSU
Engenho Mojope
The area surrounding the town also has a few treasures. The Engenho Mojope, an old sugar estate built in 1750, has ruins of a mill, casa grande (plantation owner's mansion), chapel and slave quarters. It's now a campground belonging to Camping Clube do Brasil, and worth a stop if you're going by car: take BR101 3.5 km south from the Igarassu turnoff and turn right at the `Camping Club' sign. The former plantation is one km further down the road.
Itapissuma
About 10 km from Igarassu is the small town of Itapissuma, which is worth visiting to see the Igreja São Gonçalvo do Amarante (1795), on Rua Manoel Lourenço.
(To be continued)
Excerpts from Brazil - A Travel Survival Kit, 3rd edition, by Andrew Draffen, Chris McAsey, Leonardo Pinheiro, and Robyn Jones. For more information call Lonely Planet: (800) 275-8555. Copyright 1996 Lonely Planet Publications. Used by permission.
