Olinda

Olinda was founded in 1535 and was the capital of the Pernambuco captaincy before the Dutch burned it in 1631 and moved their base to the island where Recife now stands. It was rebuilt on the same hills through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and what survives is a dense colonial town of monasteries, convents and churches - the Se on the highest point, Sao Bento with its gilded interior, the Carmo, Misericordia - among houses painted in strong colours, with views back over Recife's towers. Its Carnival is the other reason people come, and it is unlike Rio's: no stadium and no tickets, just blocos moving through the lanes behind giant papier-mache puppets, with frevo bands and open streets.

History

Caeté and Tupinambá villages stood on these hills before the Portuguese built a stronghold on a former Caeté village; Duarte Coelho Pereira founded Olinda in 1535, it became a town on 12 March 1537, and as capital of the captaincy of Pernambuco it grew rich on sugarcane worked by enslaved Africans, becoming the seat of a prelature in 1614 and a diocese in 1676. Dutch forces burned the town during the years when Portugal was united with Spain, and after the years of Dutch rule Olinda declined; Recife became the capital of Pernambuco in 1827, and in 1982 Olinda's centre was declared a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Olinda).

Highlights

• Churches on every rise - Se, Sao Bento, Carmo and the convents between them.
• Painted colonial houses - strong colours along steep cobbled lanes.
• Recife from the hills - the modern skyline seen from the old capital.
• Street Carnival with giant puppets - blocos and frevo, no stadium or tickets.

When to go

September to March; Carnival for the street festival. A day, or the full week at Carnival.

Before you go

The lanes are steep and cobbled and the walking is harder than the distances suggest. Some churches keep short and unreliable hours. During Carnival the town is packed to a degree that makes movement slow and accommodation must be booked far ahead.

Nearby

Recife Antigo is a short ride south; Itamaraca is north up the coast.

Key facts