Penedo

Penedo was founded in the sixteenth century on a rock above the Sao Francisco about thirty-five kilometres from the sea, and it prospered as the port where river trade met coastal shipping. The colonial centre survives on the slope: the Convento de Sao Francisco with an interior of carved and gilded cedar, the Nossa Senhora da Corrente church, the Casa da Aposentadoria, and steep streets of townhouses running down to the water. A ferry crosses continuously to Neopolis on the Sergipe bank, carrying cars and people, and boats run downstream toward the river mouth. The riverfront is the working part of town and the churches are the reason to climb the hill, which is steeper than it looks from the water.

What you actually see

• A gilded Franciscan interior - carved cedar under gold in the convent church.
• A town on a bluff - colonial streets running down to the Sao Francisco.
• The Neopolis ferry - continuous crossings to the Sergipe bank.
• A working river port - trade on the water below the historic centre.

When to go

All year. A day.

Honest expectations

The streets are steep and the walk between churches is more tiring than the map suggests. Church opening hours are short and irregular. The town is quiet in the evenings. Accommodation is limited and simple.

Nearby

Piranhas is upriver toward the canyon; the river mouth is downstream.