Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Teatro da Paz
Praça da República • Tues-Fri 9am-noon & 2-5pm, Sat 10am-noon, Sun 10-11am • Hourly guided tours R$4 •
T
91 4009 8769,
W
tdapaz.com.br
At the heart of the Praça da República is the most obvious sign of Belém's rubber
fortunes: the
Teatro da Paz
. Completed in 1874, the theatre opened its doors in 1878
and is still a wonderful example of early rubber-boom architecture. The building
retains its original roof and Portuguese mosaic floors, while the ceiling of the
auditorium was painted by Italian artist Domenico de Angelis, who would later go on
to paint the panels that decorate the ceiling of the Manaus Opera House. The theatre
is regularly used for plays, operas and ballets - a concert there is an unforgettable
experience; if there is an interval, head for the first-floor terrace, one of the best
night-time views the city has to offer.
5
Ver-o-Peso market
Boulevard Castilhos França • Daily 6am-6pm • Free
An essential stop,
Ver-o-Peso
(“see the weight”) is reason enough in itself to visit Belém.
There are sections devoted to fish, aromatic oils, medicinal plants and herbs, and an
expanding sector selling locally produced craft goods. The market is at its most
interesting from around 4am, when the boats from the interior start coming in with
the two Pará products the city needs above all else: fish and
açaí
, a palm fruit from
which one brews a purple mush that is a staple of Amazonian cuisine, and which no
self-respecting
paraense
can get through the day without drinking straight, eating mixed
with a variety of ingredients or freezing and consuming as ice cream. The fish is either
sold right on the dockside or hauled into the cast-iron market overlooking the harbour
(Scots reminded of home are quite right; the sections were made in Scotland in the
1890s and then assembled here). The
açaí
comes bundled up in baskets woven from
the palm leaves, and is immediately pounced on by traders and customers in a hubbub
of shouting and early-morning bustle.
Getting there at a more realistic hour, around 8am, there is still plenty of fish to
see in the old market, and stretching beyond it are, in order, an equally fascinating
medicinal herbs and spices market, all grown in backyards or fresh from the forest;
the colonial customs house, now restored; and a more orthodox market under modern
awnings which is a good place to buy hammocks, mosquito nets, football shirts and
other necessities.
Mercado Municipal
Boulevard Castilhos França • Daily 7am-6pm • Free
The faded but still impressive wrought-iron entrance to the
Mercado Municipal
is another
rubber-boom survival that today displays meats. The iron bars above were added to keep
the vultures away from the meat and fish the market sold when it was built.
Estação das Docas
Along the riverfront is the
Estação das Docas
, a row of old warehouses that has been
converted into a complex of restaurants, bars, stalls, exhibition spaces, shops and a
cinema/theatre, where you can choose between strolling inside in the air conditioning
or outside along the river (a great option at night). The designers sensibly kept
everything intact and reconditioned it, rather than building anew, so you can still see
the old loading cranes, now painted bright yellow. A wonderful touch is the hydraulic
loading trolley, which runs beneath the warehouse roof: it has been turned into a
moving stage where live music serenades the crowds every night over a poster saying
“
cultura em cima de tudo” -
culture above all.
