If you are visiting Recife – Pernambuco´s Capital – you will find a list of places
tourists would love to visit. Here are some exclusive photos and tips. Walking
around old Recife is an opportunity to know the city and take fantastic
pictures of the places where part of the Brazilian history was made.
Recife is located where the Beberibe River
meets the Capibaribe River to flow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is a
major port on the Atlantic Ocean. Its name is an allusion to the stone reefs
that are present by the city's shores. The many rivers, small islands and
over 50 bridges found in Recife city center characterize its geography and
gives it the moniker of the "Brazilian Venice." As of 2010, it
is the capital city with the highest HDI in Northeast Brazil.
The city is also an educational center, and
home to the Federal University of Pernambuco, the largest university in
Pernambuco. Several Brazilian historical figures, such as the poet and
abolitionist Castro Alves, moved to Recife to attain their education. Recife
and Natal are the only Brazilian cities with direct flights to the islands of
Fernando de Noronha, World Heritage Site.
A BIT OF GEOGRAPHY:
Due to the city's proximity to the equator line,
Recife weather is generally warm. Recife has a number of islands, rivers,
waterways and bridges that crisscross the city. Recife is located amidst
tropical forests which are distinguished by high rainfall levels resulting in
poor soil quality as the rainfall washes away the nutrients. There is an
absence of extreme temperatures and a cool breeze due to the trade winds from
the Atlantic Ocean.
A BIT OF ECONOMY:
Recife is one of
Brazil's prime business centers, largely because it has one International
Airport and two International ports. One is located in the town itself, and the
other, the port of Suape, is located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) away.
Just south of Recife is the region's main industrial area, where the following
industries can be found: brewing and canning, shipbuilding, automotive,
electronics, tube manufacturing, chocolate manufacturing, textiles, etc.
Recife has shared in the prosperity of
Northeastern Brazil that resulted from development promoted after 1960 by
Sudene (Superintendência para o Desenvolvimento do Nordeste), a federal
organization. Although its retail and wholesale trade have grown in response to
the region's increases in population and wealth, the market area and the
walkways of the city's bridges are crowded with vendors selling small items.
Recife has an area
dedicated to information technology called "Porto Digital" (Digital
Port) with more than 90 companies and 3,000 High Tech Jobs. It was founded in
July 2000 and has since attracted major investments. Generating some R$10
billion (Brazilian Reais) a year, it produces technology that is exported to
Japan, China, among other countries. Software manufacturing is the main
activity in the Porto Digital. The Porto Digital cluster comprises small and
medium companies, but multinationals like Accenture, Motorola, Samsung, Dell
and Sun Microsystems are also installed in Porto Digital. IBM and Microsoft
transferred their regional headquarters to Recife.
Porto Digital's startups can count on a ready pool of talent, courtesy of the Federal University of Pernambuco
(UFPE), which boasts one of the best computer-science departments in all of
Latin America. The school began teaching programmers to use Sun Microsystems
Inc.'s (SUNW) Java language in 1996, the year it was introduced. Professors at
the school also teamed up to launch Centro de Estudos e Sistemas Avançados do
Recife (C.E.S.A.R), a business incubator that has played a vital role in the
birth of some 30 companies.
A BIT OF TOURISTICAL ATTRACTIONS,
HOTELS AND RECREATION:
The celebrations,
holidays and other events are numerous during the whole year. Thus the New Year
begins at the beach, Praia de Boa Viagem and in Old Recife. The carnival of
Recife and Olinda (which has its historic town center considered world heritage
site by UNESCO in 1982) begins many weeks ahead in December with innumerable
balls and parades.
In the city, the
carnival festivities begin in December, as locals begin preparing for the
official Carnival, which starts the week before Ash Wednesday. The pre-Carnival
parties usually consist of percussion groups practicing in local clubs, city
streets and squares, and even Carnival balls. There is a variety of rhythms
from different cultures. Carnival officially starts with the Galo da Madrugada,
a party in Downtown Recife attracting many people from several States of
Brazil, and other parts of the world.
Recife has many
quality 3, 4 and 5-Star International Hotels as well Pousadas (traditional Bed
& breakfast) and Apart-Hotels totaling more than 11,500 bedrooms and this
number increase to over 30,000 in the metropolitan area of Recife.
Mercado de São José
(Market of Saint Joseph) is an old, iron construction with a popular market
nearby. In the Fort Cinco Pontes
(Fort of Five Points) is the state museum, (Museu do Estado de Pernambuco). At
the rectangular Pátio de São Pedro
are the Cathedral São Pedro (Cathedral of Saint Peter) dating from the year
1782 and restored colonial houses, with numerous restaurants, bistros and bars.
In the Bairro Santo Antônio (Saint Anthony Neighborhood), at the meeting place
of the rivers Capibaribe and Beberibe, is the Praça da República (Square of the Republic) with the Teatro Santa
Isabel (Theatre of Saint Isabel), with its neoclassic front - well worth
seeing, the Law Courts, and the Palácio da Justiça (Palace of the Justice). Casa da Cultura (House of Culture) is
an old prison that has been converted into a cultural space and shopping
centre.
Built between 1835
and 1855, the Malakoff Tower, a monument constructed in Tunisian style, which
used to be an observatory and now is a cultural centre and a place for popular
gatherings. It is located at Arsenal da Marinha Square. It has been registered
as a Historical Patrimony and was named after a similar monument on Crimean
peninsula, used as a defence center for Sebastopol.
Recife has a zoo called Dois Irmãos Park, 387
hectares of Atlantic Forest reserve and 14 hectares of botanical gardens. There
are also 800 wild animals, the Natural Science Museum and various ecological
trails. The metropolitan area has also a giant water park 20 km
(12 mi) North of Recife, called Veneza Water Park which has nearly one
million sq/ft of area, ten millions litres of water and lots of water slides
for the youngsters.
Among Recife's
main tourist attractions are:
Churches,
historical monuments, public markets including 17th and 18th century
constructions from Portugues and Dutch colonisers;
Francisco
Brennand´s Atelier of ceramic art;
Ricardo
Brennand Istitute: cultural institute
with museum, pinacotec and library;
Recife
Antigo (Old Recife) buildings;
Boa
Viagens Beach (the inside city's most important beach) and many beautiful
beaches in the metropolitan and state area;
Casa da Cultura: souvenir shops in an Historic prison
building; The Carnival at
locations such as downtown and Recife Antigo;
Olinda´s historic town centre, considered a world
heritage site by UNESCO
News and Historic Cinemas, Theatres and Art galleries.
SHOPPING CENTERS:
Shopping Center Recife, was inaugurated in 1980 and it
was surpassed by Riomar Mall, wich gross leasable area is 101.000, against
91.200 of Shopping Recife Mall.
Other
shopping centres include:
Shopping Center Tacaruna. The first centre for
purchases in the North/West zone of the Recife Metropolitan Region was
inaugurated on April 29, 1997, with the intention of improving the economy
of the cities: Recife, Olinda and Paulista.
Shopping
Paço da Alfândega.
Plaza
Shopping Casa Forte was inaugurated in November 1998.
Shopping RioMar was inaugurated in 2012.
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Central Train Station and Train Museum.
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Information about Casa da Cultura Artcrafts Market.
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Casa da Cultura main entrance.
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Cinco Pontas Museum
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Mercado São José -
Recife´s Public Market main entrance.
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Mercado São José stores.
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Typical Store at Mercado São José
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Aurora Street River View.
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Santa Isabel Theater.
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Bronze sculpture in front of Santa Isabel Theater.
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Government Palace.
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Republic Square.
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Recife Law School Building
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Iron Sculpture at Isabel Princess Bridge.
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Bronze Sculpture at Isabel Princess Bridge.
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Paço Alfândega Shopping Center.
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Marco Zero - Zero Mark Square
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Zero Mark Square Monument.
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Recife Boat Ride.
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Recife Lighthouse.
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Artistic Expression, small sculptures made of wood.
They represent countryside city Bezerros Carnival.
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Picture behind Malakoff Tower.
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Malakoff Tower - Main Entrance.
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Bom Jesus Street - Old Recife
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Old Houses in the Old Recife.
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Paço Alfândega Shopping.
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