Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
unhelpfully, located in outlying suburbs.
The heart of the modern city, Boa Vista,
is your best bet for cheap accommodation
and eats.
small cloister, the museum (Museo
Franciscano de Arte Sacra) has some
strange but delicately painted statues of
saints and other artwork rescued from
demolished or crumbling local churches.
Santo Antônio's highlight - and Recife's
Baroque masterpiece - is the Capela
Dourada (Golden Chapel). Finished in
1697, the Rococo chapel's jacaranda-
carved interior is finished in gold leaf,
while its crowning glory is the series of
ceiling panels by Manuel de Jesus Pinto ,
an alforriado , or freed slave, whose
work graces many of the city's finest
religious buildings.
Recife Antigo
While there's not that much in the way
of conventional attractions, the once
run-down district of RECIFE ANTIGO now
has a thriving nightlife scene and is also
a pleasant place during the day to walk
around. One of the few sites is the
Sinagoga Kahal Zur Israel , Rua do Bom
Jesus 197 (Tues-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sun
2-5.30pm; R$5; T 81 3224 2128), built
in 1637 when Recife was under Dutch
occupation and said to be the first
synagogue in the whole of the Americas.
When the rather less tolerant Portuguese
resumed control of the city in 1654,
23 hardy members of the congregation
sailed north to form the first Jewish
community in New Amsterdam, soon to
become New York.
At the pier south of the synagogue you
can hire a rowing boat (R$5 one-way) to
take you across the water to a little reef
housing the curious Parque de Esculturas
de Francisco Brennand , where you can see a
series of rather phallic statues by renowned
local artist Brennand (see p.291).
3
Pátio de São Pedro and around
Just off the Avenida Dantas Barreto,
the impressive Concatedral de São Pedro
dos Clérigos (Mon-Fri 8am-noon &
2-4pm; free) stands on the graceful
Pátio de São Pedro. Inside there's some
exquisite woodcarving and a trompe
l'oeil ceiling by Manuel de Jesus Pinto
(see above). The colonial buildings that
line the square have been beautifully
preserved, and in the evenings you can
soak up the view over a beer at one of
the many bars that set up tables outside.
Recife is probably the best big Brazilian
city in which to find artesanato (crafts),
and the area around São Pedro is the
place to look for it. Browse the stalls
lining the square's adjacent winding
streets, or head west to the T-shaped
Casa de Cultura, a former prison turned
crafts gallery, located on Rua Floriano
Peixoto (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat
9am-6pm, Sun 9am-2pm; T 81 3224
4017, W casadaculturape.com.br).
Once you've stocked up on souvenirs,
head to the Forte das Cinco Pontas ,
of the southwestern end of Avenida
Dantas Barreto. Currently housing the
Museu da Cidade do Recife (Tues-Fri
9am-5pm; free; T 81 3355 3108),
it was originally built in 1630 by the
Dutch, the last place they surrendered
upon expulsion in 1654. Though the
fort is worth visiting for its splendid sea
views alone, the museum offers a window
onto the city's myriad past lives with
an exhaustive collection of old photos,
maps and antiques.
Praça da República
he broad Avenida Dantas Barreto forms
the spine of the central island of Santo
Antônio , and ends in the fine Praça da
República , lined with majestic palms and
home to the governor's palace as well as
Recife's most ornate theatre. The centre's
narrow, crowded streets make a pleasant
contrast to some of the financial district's
towering skyscrapers.
Convento Franciscano de
Santo Antônio
Perhaps the most enticing of the central
buildings on Santo Antônio is the
seventeenth-century Franciscan complex
known as the Convento Franciscano de
Santo Antônio , on Rua do Imperador
(Mon-Fri 8-11.30am & 2-5pm, Sat
8-11.30am; R$3; T 81 3224 0530),
a combination of church, convent and
museum. Built around a beautiful,
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search