Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE TORNEIO DOS REPENTISTAS
There are plenty of festivals other than Carnaval (see p.275) in Olinda. Definitely worth
catching if you happen to be visiting in late January is the
Torneio dos Repentistas
, which
is centred on and around the Praça da Preguiça and lasts for three days. A
repentista
is a
Northeastern singer-poet who improvises strictly metered verses accompanied only by a
guitar. Olinda's
torneio
is one of the most famous events of its kind in the region, bringing
in
repentistas
from all over the Northeast who pair off and embark on singing duels while
surrounded by audiences; the audiences break into spontaneous applause at particularly
good rhymes or well-turned stanzas.
specialist always delivers, paired with magnificent views of
the city. Try their sumptuous
moqueca de camarão
(prawn
stew; R$73 for two), or Peixe Delícia de Olinda, a bizarre
(but delicious) combination of fish fillets, cheese and
banana (R$35).
Wed-Sun noon-4pm & 7-11pm.
DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Olinda's relaxed atmosphere draws many
recifenses
at night, when tables and chairs are set on squares and pavements, and
bars that are tucked away in courtyards amid spectacular tropical foliage make for the perfect escape. There's always plenty
of music around, and, at weekends, a lot of young Brazilians out for a good time.
A fábrica
Praça do Fortim do Queijo
T
71 3429 9258,
W
afabricabar.com.
This is Olinda's hippest bar and club,
semi-alfresco with a great location close to several hostels
on Rua do Sol and a busy schedule that includes live samba
(Wed) and pop rock (Sat). Cover R$10 and under.
Mon-Fri
5pm-4am, Sat & Sun 4pm-4am.
★
stacked to the ceiling with everything from soap powder to
beans and, of course, booze. From mid-afternoon onwards,
people are crammed up against the counter and spilling
onto the cobbled streets, and there's usually some kind of
live music at weekends.
Mon-Sat 9am-11pm.
Xinxim da Baiana
Av Sigismundo Gonçalves 742
T
81
3439 8447.
Bahían-themed bar and restaurant where
local
forró de rabeca
stars, Quarteto Olinda, made their
name. Still a good place for music new and old, as well as
other myriad cultural happenings.
Tues-Sun 7pm-3am.
4
Bodega do Véio
Rua do Amparo 212
T
81 3429
0185.
A ridiculously convivial general store-cum
neighbourhood bar of the kind you still find in rural Brazil,
with brooms propped up against the walls and shelves
SHOPPING
Mercado da Ribeira
Rua Bernardo Vieira de Melo 160
.
Built in the sixteenth century, Olinda's oldest market offers
the usual range of craft goods; large festival puppets are
displayed in the hall at the end.
Daily 8am-6pm.
DIRECTORY
Money and exchange
There are no ATMs in Olinda's
historical centre so you'll need to take out money in Recife
before heading up here.
Pharmacies
Farmácia Bicentenária, Rua S Miguel 277,
Novo Olinda (
T
81 3429 2148).
Post o
ce
Praça João Pessoa
T
81 3439 2203 (Mon-Fri
9am-5pm).
North from Recife
Beyond Recife, highway BR-101 runs inland for some 120km north to João Pessoa
(see p.286). Though there's little to see en route, there is one place where it's worth
heading back to the coast: from the pleasantly run-down colonial town of
Igarassu
to the island of
Itamaracá
.
Igarassu
The second-oldest city in Brazil, 32km north of Recife,
IGARASSU
was founded by the
Portuguese in 1537 on a ridge rising out of a sea of palm trees: the name means “great
canoe” in the language of the Tupi Indians, the cry that went up when they first saw
the Portuguese galleons. Though it's nothing like Olinda, a few relics of its past remain
in the historic centre (Sítio Histórico de Igarassu); the modest
Igreja dos Santos Cosme
