The
Beaches North of Olinda,
the Cities Igarassu, Itapissuma,
Vila Velha, Itamaracá and Forte Orange,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
are nice Places to make Excursions
-
Hotel Pousada Peter - Art Gallery,
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
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The Beaches
North of Olinda,
the Cities Igarassu, Itapissuma,
Vila Velha, Itamaracá and Forte Orange,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
are nice Places to make Excursions
The city beaches
of Olinda
are polluted, and not recommended for swimming.
However, there are many excellent beaches north of Olinda.
The Beaches North of Olinda
You've got to get out of town for a fine, clean beach. Head north to
Janga beach (eight km) or at least
Rio Doce (six km), and beyond to
Praia da Nossa Senhora do Ó (12 km),
Praia de Pau Amarelo (14 km), Praia da Conceição (17
km) and Praia da Maria Farinha (23 km). The road goes along close to the
beach, but don't be deterred by the ugly d
evelopment beside the road:
the beaches are generally undisturbed except for
barracas and crowds on weekends. Enjoy the local
siri (small crab) and
caranguejo (big crab) at the barracas.
There are local buses to these beaches from Praça do Carmo.
All these beaches are not far, convenient of Olinda, where the
Hotel Pousada Peter is located.
Already in the neighbour
hood there is
the city Paulista
with the beaches
"Enseadinha", "Janga",
"Pau Amarelo", "Nossa Senhora do Ó", as
well as
the beaches
Conceição"
and "Maria
Farinha".
IGARASSU
One of the oldest cities in Brazil, Igarassu is 30 km north of Olinda and 20 km shy of Ilha de Itamaracá. Igarassu is small, untouristed and full of colonial buildings
History
On 27 September 1535, the day of Saints Cosme and Damião, it was a busy day for town hero Duarte Coelho and his men. They managed to fight off both the Potiguar Indians at the mouth of the Rio Igarassu and the French pirates offshore. Later in the afternoon, after a big meal, Duarte Coelho founded the village, naming it São Cosme e Damião in honor of the saints. It later came to be known as Igarassu.
Information
Igarassu's tourist office (081 - 5430435), at Praça da Bandeira 42, has brochures and beautiful free posters. It's open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Historic Section of Igarassu
Walking up the hill to the historic section, you'll find
Igreja dos Santos Cosme e Damião, which dates back to the foundation of Igarassu and is the oldest church
still standing in Pernambuco state. Next door, on Largo São Cosme e São
Damião, the Museu Histórico de Igarassu
(city museum) displays sacred art, weapons and furniture from noble
families. It's open from 8 am to 2 pm Tuesday to Sunday.
The Convento de Santo Antônio (1588), on Avenida Hermes, contains the
Museu Pinacoteca (art museum), which
has paintings depicting folk tales and popular legends. The convent and
museum have recently been superbly restored and are well worth a visit.
Both are open Tuesday to Sunday from 8 am to 2 pm.
Festivals
On 27 September, the Festa dos Santos Cosme e Damião celebrates the founding of Igarassu and honors its patron saints with Bumba Meu Boi and the ciranda dance (which actually originated in Itamaracá). The Festa do Coco is held during the last week of November.
AROUND IGARASSU
Engenho Mojope
The area surrounding the town also has a few treasures. The
Engenho
Mojope, an old sugar estate built in 1750, has ruins of a mill,
casa grande (plantation owner's
mansion), chapel and slave quarters. It's now a campground belonging to
Camping Clube do Brasil, and worth a stop if you're going by car: take
BR101 3.5 km south from the Igarassu turnoff and turn right at the
"Camping Club" sign. The former plantation is one km further down the
road.
VILA VELHA
Vila Velha: Small village with a church of
the 17th century, still preserved. The view from
"Vila Velha" is astonishing: to the left, the "Forte Orange"
protects the island against perils coming from the sea; to the right,
the "Santa Cruz" channel separating the island from the continent. You
can see all of this from "Porto Brasilis", mix of studio and restaurant
of the artist/ cooker Luiz Jasmin. The food and preparation of the food
is extremely pleasant.
ITAPISSUMA
About 10 km far from Igarassu is the small town of Itapissuma, which is
worth visiting to see the Igreja São Gonçalvo do Amarante (1795), on Rua
Manoel Lourenço. In Itapissuma there is the
bridge "Itamaracá" which goes to the island Itamaracá.
Know before you go to Itamaraca
The
island of Itamaracá, is separated from the continent by the "Santa Cruz"
channel. Its roads are surrounded by coconut trees lead to innumerable
beaches and monuments, a unique combination of landscapes and history.
Local
legend says Itamaracá was once the site of the Garden of Eden, and the
short drive across the causeway from Itapissuma promises much, passing
amongst thousands of palm trees lapped by fields of sugar cane - the
rich but sickly smell just before the harvest in March is enough to make
you feel distinctly queasy. So it's a shame to have to say that the town
of ITAMARACÁ is something of a disappointment. It's very crowded and
increasingly scarred by the hundreds of weekend homes springing up in
ugly rashes along the beaches - alongside the humble wattle huts roofed
with palm leaves where the original islanders have managed to hold on.
One of the first parts of Brazil to be settled by the Portuguese,
Itamaracá was so prosperous as a sugar plantation that it was also the
first part of Pernambuco to be occupied by the Dutch, who built a fort
here.
Its main attractions are:
Forte Orange: built in 1631 by the Dutch as
the first bastion of defense of the land just conquered, it was taken
back by the Portuguese in 1654 and reconstructed in accordance with the
Portuguese architectural style. Its 13 cannons remain today respectably
pointing to the sea of green calm waters. The walls of the Fortress have
resisted for more than 350 years to the beating of the waves during high
tide. From the beach in front of the Fortress, you can take a raft until
the "Coroa do Avião", an islet in the entry of the "Santa Cruz" channel.
Or, if you prefer, take a ride on a glider: the view is
breathtaking.
The "Coroa do Avião", breakpoint of small migratory birds called
"maçaricos", is also an excellent point to practice some nautical sports:
jet-ski, banana-boats, rafts and sail boats are available to be rented
by the tourists.
Itamaracá has a reputation as an idyllic rural retreat, away from the
pressures of life in Recife. This might have been true fifteen years
ago, but it's stretching things a little now. Nonetheless, there are a
couple of places of interest. The first building you see as you arrive
on the island is an enormous open prison: all the fields are cultivated
by prisoners, easily recognizable in blue and grey uniforms with ID
cards pinned to their chests. They run a group of cafés and shops on the
road just past the prison, selling handmade jewellery and bone carvings.
These shops are built near the Engenho São João
(Mon-Sat 10am-5pm), much better preserved than Monjope, with most of the
original machinery used for pressing cane, boiling the syrup and
refining sugar still intact. A turn-off just before the town (you'll
probably end up walking as local buses exist but are very infrequent)
leads 5km through tacky villas before rewarding you with the Forte
Oranje , another star-shaped Dutch fort built in 1631 by Maurice of
Nassau to protect the newly occupied sugar estates. There's a vicious
enfilade at the front gate, where attackers were filtered through a
zigzag corridor and exposed to musket fire from slits on all sides, and
there are a few old cannons lying around on the ramparts with the makers'
crests still visible. The souvenir shop inside is the most overpriced in
Pernambuco, but the beachside bars opposite are really good value, with
excellent food - highlight is the casquinho de carangueijo, crab meat
fried with garlic and onions, served in the shell
and covered with roasted manioc flour. A couple of iced beers here,
looking out across the bay, should be enough to make you feel better
disposed towards the island,
especially if you catch somebody selling the delicious local oysters out
of a bucket. You buy them by the half dozen, for around $1: the seller
flicks them open with a knife and supplies a lime to squeeze over them.
Manatee Preservation Center: opened from
Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 to 16hs, it is an excellent place to see the
Manatee, an exotic marine mammal native from the waters of the island.
Buses to and from Olinda
Buses to/ from Recife
Centre
Buses marked "Rio Doce/ Conde da Boa Vista" and "Casa
Caiada" go to the center of Recife. Taxis cost about R$ 12. From
Recife, take any "Rio Doce", "Casa Caiada" or "Jardim Atlântico" bus
to Olinda.
Buses to/ from Recife
Centre to Boa Viagem
There are local buses from Recife centre.
To/ From Boa Viagem
Buses marked "Rio Doce/ Piedade" go to Boa Viagem
and the beaches Praia de Boa Viagem and Praia de Piedade and buses marked "Rio
Doce/ Casa Caiada-Barra de Jangada" go to Boa Viagem, to the
Shopping Center Recife and to the beaches Praia de Boa Viagem and
Praia de Piedade.
To/ From Estação Mêtro to TIP (Estação
Rodoviaria)
Buses marked "Rio Doce/ Princesa Isabel" go
from Olinda to the Estação
Mêtro" to the centre of Recife (6 kilometers) and from there the
mêtro to the TIP, where de buses go in all directions.
Another important bus stop in Olinda is on the
place "Largo do Amparo", 200 meters far from Hotel Pousada Peter in "Cidade Alta", the historic centre, which is leading to the centre of Recife.
To/ From Recife
Buses marked "Amparo" go to the centre of Recife,
7 kilometers far from Hotel Pousada Peter. There is the bus stop Guararapes, where you are going off the Amparo bus, asking for the bus stop Camelodromo, about 500 meters far from the bus stop Amparo. There are the buses to the directions to the south like Cabo, Gaibu Porto de Galinhas and to the other beaches in the south.Taxis to Recife centre cost at present about R$ 12. From Recife, take any "Rio Doce", "Casa Caiada" or "Jardim Atlântico" bus to Olinda to Praça do Carmo. Only the bus "Amparo" goes back to the historic centre and the place Largo do Amparo.
The Amparo buses are passing by first from the historic centre of Olinda to the Shopping Center Tacaruna, 4 kilometers far from Hotel Pousada Peter. From there the Amparo buses go to town town Recife, more 3 kilometers, making a big circle and returning to the historic centre of Olinda. It is nearly a small City Tour.
The Excursions to the Beaches
of Pernambuco, Brazil by Car
Each
of these excursions to the beaches of Pernambuco you can make from
Hotel Pousada Peter within
of one day by taxidrivers of our confidence for reasonable prices.
You will hire the taxi the whole day, included the driver. Please
contact us the day before of your trip, to organize the cap and to
combine the price. The average price of the car for the wohle day is
at present between R$ 100,00 (Itamaracá), and R$ 150,00 Brazilian Real. For the longest
distances is the price for the whole day about R$ 180,00 Brazilian
Real. We help also to rent a car.
Please
mouse-click on the pictures for close-ups !
Olinda
- The Description of the Town
The
Description
of the twenty Churches
of Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil
How
to get by Car
to
the
Historic Center of Olinda,
Pernambuco, Brazil
and to the Hotel Pousada
Peter
- Art Gallery,
please click here !
The Beaches
"Praias" North of Olinda,
Rio Doce, Nossa Senhora do Ó,
Janga, Pau Amarelo, Conceição,
Maria Farinha,
the Cities Igarassu, Itapissuma,
Vila Velha, Itamaracá and Forte Orange,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
are nice Places to make Excursions !
Map of the Beaches "Praias"
North of Olinda,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
click here, please
!
The Beaches
"Praias"
South of Olinda and Recife,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
Boa Viagem, Piedade, Casa Caiada, Cabo,
Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Itapuama, Ipojuca, Enseada dos Corais, Gaibu,
Calhetas, Suape, Porto de Galinhas, Tamandaré, Muro Alto, Paiva,
Carneiros, Maracaipe,
Ponta de Serrambi,
are nice Places to make Excursions !
Map
of the Beaches "Praias"
South of Olinda,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
click here, please
!
The Waterfalls
of Pernambuco, Brazil,
are Jewels of Brazil !
Parque
das Cachoeiras
Park of the Waterfalls of
Bonito,
Pernambuco, Brazil !
The
City
Brejo da Madre de Deus
Pernambuco,
Brazil,
with its prehistoric archeological place
"O Sítio arqueológico
"Furna do Estrago",
is one of the most important
prehistoric places of Brazil !
The
Map,
how to go from Recife and
Olinda
to the City
Brejo da Madre de Deus,
Pernambuco, Brazil !
THE
CARNIVAL
OF OLINDA,
PERNAMBUCO,
BRAZIL
-
CLICK
HERE,
PLEASE
!
Silvio Bothelho, Creative Artist,
of the Giant Puppets
"Bonecos Gigantes" of Olinda,
Pernambuco, Brazil !
PRE-CARNIVAL
AND THE CARNIVAL
OF RECIFE AND OLINDA,
PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL !
To see a Video
about the Carnival of Olinda
and
in Pernambuco, Brazil,
please click here !
To
hear the famous Music of the Frevo
of the Carnival of Olinda,
Pernambuco, Brazil,
please click here !
The
Beaches
of
Pernambuco, Brazil !
There
are many Excursions
from Olinda to the Beaches
of
Pernambuco, Brazil.
To see the Map of the Beaches,
please click here !
The
City Hall of Olinda
- Prefeitura de
Olinda !
Recife
- The Description of the Town
The Map and the Touristic Points
of the City Recife,
Pernambuco, Brazil.
Please click her !
To
know more about the first
Jewish Synagogue of North and
South America,
"Kahal Zur
Israel",
in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Please click here !
The
Hadassah News
about Recife
Pernambuco, Brazil !
THE
HISTORY
AND INFORMATIONS
ABOUT
THE STATE
OF PERNAMBUCO,
BRAZIL !
THE HISTORY
OF BRAZIL !
Statistics of the Visitors
of the Homepage in English
of the Hotel Pousada Peter - Art Gallery,
Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil,
starting from 23. 11. 2001.
Thank you for visiting of our Site.
