Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Penedo
A couple of hours, and some 150km, north of Aracaju is the sparkling colonial town of
PENEDO
, across the border in Alagoas. Originally developed to control the illegal export
of lumber by French merchant ships in the sixteenth century, it was occupied by the
Dutch between 1637 and 1645, who built the original fort here. Penedo is strategically
placed at the mouth of the mighty
Rio São Francisco
, and it's still a busy little place, much
of whose life revolves around the river and the waterfront - the only way to cross the river
here is by ferry. Indeed, while the town is worth exploring on foot, the main attractions
along the São Francisco are best accessed on a boat tour (see box below).
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Corrente
Praça 12 de Abril • Tues-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm • Free
There are several colonial churches in Penedo, the most attractive of which is the early
eighteenth-century
azulejo
-decorated
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Corrente
,
started
around 1764 with
a stunning gold-leaf Rococo
retábulo
(altarpiece) inside. According
to local tradition, escaped slaves took refuge inside the church via a “secret passage” to
the right of the high altar.
Convento de São Francisco e Igreja Nossa Senhora dos Anjos
Rua 7 de Setembro 218 (Praça Rui Barbosa) • Tues-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun 8am-4pm • R$2 •
T
82 3551 2279
This combined convent and church was completed around 1759, with a small museum
of antique furniture and religious art inside. The Baroque church itself is richly adorned
with a fine trompe l'oeil ceiling by Pernambucan artist Libório Lázaro Lial (1784) and
a gilded gold altar.
4
Casa de Penedo
Rua João Pessoa 126 • Mon-Sat 9am-noon & 2-4pm • R$3 •
T
82 3551 4198,
W
casadopenedo.com.br
Largely displaying the cache of historic photos, books and documents collected by local
doctor Francisco A. Sales, the tiny
Casa de Penedo
acts as small museum and cultural
centre. Among the exhibits are rooms dedicated to Francisco Inácio de Carvalho
Moreira, the one-time Barão do Penedo, writer Elysio de Carvalho and the visits of
invading Dutch prince John Maurice of Nassau (1637) and Dom Pedro II (1859) to
Penedo. he
casa
foundation is working on an ambitious project to open a
Museum
do São Francisco
in the next few years, in the old Clube de Pesca do Penedo and
nineteenth-century Chalé dos Loureiros.
Museu do Paço Imperial
Praça 12 de Abril 21 • Tues-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 8am-noon • R$4
he
Museu do Paço Imperial
is housed inside an elegant eighteenth-century
sobrado
(mansion), with displays of period furniture and religious art, though it also makes a
TRIPS TO THE FOZ DO SÃO FRANCISCO
There are some dazzling golden-sand beaches at the mouth of the Rio São Francisco, an area
known as
Foz do São Francisco
. Many tourists visit on day-trips from Aracaju (R$135), but
you can also negotiate trips with local boats in Penedo or
Piaçabuçu
, 28km down river; from
here boats take around 45min (R$120 for four people) to reach the beaches. Piaçabuçu itself is
a sleepy and little-visited fishing village, accessible by local vans/
topiques
(40min; every 30min;
R$2) or taxi from Penedo.
TOURS
★
Farol da Foz Ecoturismo
Av Ulisses Guedes 228,
Bairro Brasília, Piaçabuçu
T
82 9975 1975,
W
faroldafozecoturismo.com.
tours to Foz do São Francisco by dune buggy (R$200
for up to four people) or by boat (R$35/person)
from Piaçabuçu.
Excellent
guided
