Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
growing number of hotels, the bone-white sands remain stunningly beautiful and, out
of season, tourists are still few and far between.
The centre of João Pessoa is dotted with
colonial churches
,
monasteries
and
convents
,
just west of a small lake known simply as the
Lagoa
. At the city's core is
Praça João
Pessoa
, which contains the state governor's palace and the local parliament; most of the
central hotels are clustered around here. The oldest part of the city is just to the north
of Praça João Pessoa, where Rua Duque de Caxias ends in the Baroque splendour of the
Igreja de São Francisco
. The steep Ladeira de São Francisco, leading down from here to
the lower city and the bus and train stations, offers a marvellous tree-framed view of
the rest of the city spread out on the banks of the
Rio Sanhauá
.
To the east of Lagoa, Avenida Getúlio Vargas leads out of town towards the skyscrapers
and beachside
bairros
of Cabo Branco and Tambaú, separated by the futuristic, luxury
Tropical Tambaú
(see p.289). This area is also where the highest concentration of bars
and clubs can be found. The southern boundary of the city is the lighthouse on
Ponta de
Seixas
, the cape at the far end of Cabo Branco, the most easterly point of Brazil.
Centro Cultural de São Francisco
Rua Duque de Caxias (Praça de São Francisco) • Mon 2-5pm, Tues-Sun 9am-noon & 2-5pm • R$4 •
T
83 3218 4505
João Pessoa's most spectacular church is the
Igreja de São Francisco
, which sits in
splendid isolation atop the hill that bears its name, and now forms part of the
Centro
Cultural de São Francisco
. The exterior alone is impressive enough. A huge courtyard is
flanked by high walls beautifully decorated with
azulejo
tiling, with pastoral scenes in a
series of alcoves. These walls funnel you towards a large early eighteenth-century church
that would do credit to Lisbon or Coimbra: its most remarkable feature is the tower
topped with an oriental dome, a form that the Portuguese encountered in Goa and
appropriated for their own purposes. Beyond the church are the chapels and cloister of
the
Convento de Santo Antônio
, notably the gold-smothered altars of
Capela da Ordem
Terceira de São Francisco
, while upstairs there's the excellent
Museu Sacro e de Arte
Popular
(museum
of popular and sacred art).
4
Catedral Basílica de Nossa Senhora das Neves
Praça Dom Ulrico • Mon-Fri 1.30-5.30pm; Sat Mass 6pm, Sun Mass 6am, 9am & 6pm • Free •
T
83 3221 2503
The mother church of João Pessoa, the
Catedral Basílica de Nossa Senhora das Neves
is
a brilliant white wedding cake of a structure, with a well-proportioned interior that, for
once, forgoes the Rococo excesses of many colonial churches (this incarnation of the
church was inaugurated in 1894). Its large, rather plain facade fronts a small square
with majestic views north to the wooded river valley and, to the west, green suburbs.
Mosteiro de São Bento
Av General Osório 36 • Tues-Sat 2-5pm • Free •
T
83 3214 2923
he seventeenth-century
Mosteiro de São Bento
has a simple, beautifully restored
Baroque interior with a lovely curved wooden ceiling. Today the monastery acts as
display space for temporary art exhibitions and venue for classical concerts.
BOLERO DE RAVEL
One of the most popular rites of passage for Brazilian tourists to the Northeast is spending
a Saturday evening nursing cocktails along the Rio Jacaré in Cabedelo (10km north of João
Pessoa), being serenaded by a rendition of Ravel's Boléro (the music famously used by Olympic
gold medal skaters Torvill and Dean) by saxophonist Jurandy, who plays in a canoe on the
river - all very Kenny G. circa 1980s. Concerts begin at 6pm, with violinist Isabelle Soares also
getting in on the action later on. To be fair, it can be lots of fun, with plenty of music and
dancing before and after the main performance. Local tour operators can arrange trips for
around R$40 per person; if you have a group, a taxi might be cheaper (around R$40 each way).
