Recife
Capital Of Pernambuco, Built On Rivers And Islands; Home Of Kahal Zur Israel, The First Synagogue In The Americas (1636) · Recife, Pernambuco
Recife is the capital of Pernambuco, a big, busy city built on islands and river channels where the Capibaribe and Beberibe meet the Atlantic, crossed by so many bridges that it is called the Venice of Brazil. Under Dutch rule in the seventeenth century it was briefly one of the most cosmopolitan towns in the Americas, and Kahal Zur Israel, founded in 1636 on what is now the Rua do Bom Jesus, was the first synagogue in the Americas; the restored building is a museum. The old quarter, Recife Antigo, is being revived around the Marco Zero square, and the Paço do Frevo tells the story of the city's frantic Carnival music. Two of Brazil's most striking art places are here: the Oficina Brennand, a ceramic sculpture park in an old tile factory, and the Instituto Ricardo Brennand, a mock castle full of arms, art and Dutch-era paintings. Recife's Carnival opens with the Galo da Madrugada parade, one of the largest in the world. The city beach, Boa Viagem, has a history of shark attacks, and the centre needs street sense.
Recife Antigo, Bairro do Recife, Recife, PE, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
A city, always open, but its sights keep daytime hours and the pattern matters. Most museums, including the synagogue museum, the Paço do Frevo and the Cais do Sertão, open from late morning to late afternoon and many close on Mondays; some also close early on Sundays. The Oficina Brennand and the Instituto Ricardo Brennand keep their own hours, are far from the centre and from each other, and the Instituto has at times required tickets bought ahead; confirm both before crossing the city. Recife Antigo is lively on weekday daytimes and on some weekend evenings and Sunday afternoons when streets are closed to traffic, but empties and feels unsafe at night otherwise. Carnival, in February or early March, opens with the Galo da Madrugada on the Saturday morning and closes much of the centre to traffic for days.