Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 287

northern suburbs. The museum is on the
left, but hard to spot, so ask the driver or
conductor where to get off.

Viagem) or Avenida Agamenon
Magalhâes (bordering Boa Vista) and
take it to the end of the line. Continue
on foot to the end of the road, and turn
right onto Rua Isaac Buril. The institute
is at the end of this road on the left.

Casa-Museu Magdalena e
Gilberto Freyre
Anyone with even a passing interest in
anthropology, or Brazil's cultural identity,
shouldn't miss the chance to root around
in the sugar-pink nineteenth-century
mansion of Gilberto Freyre, whose 1933
book, The Masters and the Slaves , remains
one of the most iconic texts ever written
on the country. Located a shortish taxi
ride away from the Museo do Homem do
Nordeste (or via bus #522 or #930 from
Av Agamenon Magalhães), at Rua Dois
Irmãos 320, Apipucos (Mon-Fri
9am-5pm, R$10; T 81 3441 1733,
W www.fgf.org.br), the interior is stuffed
with his collection of over forty thousand
books and all manner of fascinating
ethnic antiques and curios .

Oficina Brennand
A short walk south of the Instituto, on
Propriedade Santos Cosme e Damião,
you'll find the studio of the Brennand
clan's most famous scion, sculptor
Francisco. A renovated ceramics factory-
cum-Brazilian Parque Güell, Oficina
Brennand (Mon-Thurs 8am-5pm, Fri
8am-4pm; R$10; T 81 3271 2466,
W

3

brennand.com.br) functions as both the
artist's workshop and shop window, where
you can buy pieces direct.

Boa Viagem
Regular buses make it easy to get down
to the district of BOA VIAGEM and the
beach, an enormous skyscraper-lined arc
of sand that constitutes the longest
stretch of urbanized seafront in Brazil.
Recife, too, was once studded with
beaches, but they were swallowed up
by industrial development, leaving only
Boa Viagem within the city's limits.
he narrow beach is packed at
weekends and deserted during the week,
with warm natural rock pools to wallow
in just offshore when the tide is out.
Pavilions punctuate the pavement along
the noisy road, selling all sorts of
refreshing drinks from coconut water
to pre-mixed batidas (rum cocktails).
There have been a small number of shark
attacks over the years, but they usually
involve surfers far offshore.

Instituto Ricardo Brennand
One of Recife's most incongruous
attractions is the Instituto Ricardo
Brennand on Alameda Antônio Brennand
in the outlying suburb of Várzea
(Tues-Sun 1-5pm; R$15; T 81 2121
0352, W institutoricardobrennand.org.br).
This mock-Tudor castle belongs to one of
the sons of the city's renowned Brennand
family, and is home to an impressive
collection of Pernambucan landscapes by
Dutch-born painter Frans Post, as well as
Greco-Roman mythological figures, suits
of armour and a collection of Swiss-army
knives with more functions than you can
count. To get here, catch bus #040 on
Avenida Domingos Ferreira (in Boa

CRIME AND SAFETY
Recife and Olinda have a bad reputation throughout Brazil. Everyone has a story about
how they were followed, harassed, mugged or intimidated. It's enough to send even
seasoned travellers rushing back to their hostels at sundown for fear of turning into
flak-jacket-wearing Cinderellas.
While it's true that crime rates are high, if you take the usual precautions you should stay
safe: be discreet, don't wear fancy watches and jewellery, know where you're going, travel with
a friend, take taxis or public transport at night, stick to populated, well-lit areas and be wary of
open, free drinks. When withdrawing money, it's best (and safest) to use an ATM in a shopping
centre or airport. CIATUR , the Tourist Police, patrol areas of the city that tourists normally visit,
like Olinda; in Recife call T 81 3322 4867 (24hr), in Olinda T 81 3181 1717 (24hr).