Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
lot of the fact that Dom Pedro II stayed here in 1859. There's a memorial to former
town mayor Raimundo Marinho too.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
PENEDO
By bus
Penedo is linked to Maceió by four buses daily
(expresso 2.5hr;
pinga litoral
4hr) arriving and departing
the Terminal Rodoviário, Av Duque de Caxias (
T
82 3551
2602), near the centre. Bomfim (
W
bomfim.com.br) runs
one daily bus (6am) to Salvador (11hr; R$73.20) via Aracaju
(4hr; R$17), though local vans (
topiques
) on the waterfront
also ply to and from the Sergipe capital. From Aracaju,
buses to Penedo depart at 3.30pm.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Forte da Rocheira
Rua da Rocheira 2
T
82 3551 3273.
One of the town's better restaurants lies right on the
waterfront with fabulous river views. Specializing in fish
dishes (especially the local tilapia), but also more exotic
fare such as
moqueca de jacaré
(alligator stew).
Sun-Thurs
11am-4pm, Fri & Sat 11am-4pm & 6-10.30pm.
Hotel São Francisco
Av Floriano Peixoto 237
T
82
3551 2273,
W
hotelsaofrancisco.tur.br.
The most
comfortable place to stay in the heart of town, with a nice
pool and a/c rooms featuring free wi-fi, TVs an
d DVD p
layer
(with classic Brazilian DVD movies to borrow).
R$170
Pousada Colonial
Praça 12 de Abril 21
T
82 3551 2355.
This historic gem overlooks the river, offering simple but
adequate a/c rooms, an OK restaurant, excellent views, cable
TV and free wi-fi, though it's not as comfy as the ne
wer hot
els
in town - you're paying for location and ambience.
R$120
Maceió
Like Aracaju 290km to the south,
MACEIÓ
, the state capital of Alagoas, is a nineteenth-
century creation, but there the comparisons end. Maceió is twice as big and a
burgeoning beach resort, its attractive beaches and clear, turquoise waters attracting
plane-loads from all over Brazil. It's also smack in the middle of a far longer strip of
some of the best beaches in the country, all easily accessible on day-trips. Most visitors
congregate in the a
uent and lively resort area that starts at
Pajuçara
, a few kilometres
to the east of downtown, built along a spectacular beach. The somewhat down-at-heel
city centre
itself, just inland from a more polluted (and generally deserted) stretch of
sand and the grubby port district, remains the commercial and administrative heart of
the city, with a smattering of belle époque buildings and enticing museums.
4
Praça dos Martírios
The best place to get some sense of the old Maceió is
Praça dos Martírios
(aka Praça
Floriano Pexioto, after the statue of the first Republican president in the centre), once
the finest square in the city, and still exuding a certain shabby elegance. Other than the
church, the plaza's main buildings include the old
Intendência da Capital
, completed on
the south side in 1909, the
Palácio do Governo
and
Fundação Pierre Chalita
(see p.258).
Don't miss the public phone booth in the shape of a mussel shell on the south side.
Igreja Bom Jesus dos Martírios
Praça dos Martírios • Mon-Sat 8am-12.30pm & 2-6pm, Sun 7am-1pm • Free
The elegant
Igreja Bom Jesus dos Martírios
was completed between 1877 and 1881,
with its two towers and facade smothered in blue-and-white
azulejo
tiling. Inside there
are some fine tile murals in the apse, and a revered shrine to Nossa Senhora da Cabeça.
Museu Palácio Floriano Pexioto
Praça dos Martírios 517 • Tues-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm • Free •
T
82 3315 7874
Completed in 1902, Maceió's old Palácio do Governo is now the
Museu Palácio
Floriano Pexioto
, its stately upper-floor rooms decorated with period furniture,
art (including work by
Rosalvo Ribeiro
) and silverware. Also inside are excellent
exhibitions on local poet
Lêdo Ivo
and
Aurélio Buarque de Holanda
(creator of Brazil's
first dictionary). You must be accompanied by a guide (ask at the desk in the lobby),
but English-speakers are rare and there are no English labels.
