Recife Antigo

The old quarter occupies an island between the Capibaribe and the port, and it holds the Kahal Zur Israel synagogue, founded by Sephardic Jews during the Dutch period in the 1630s and the earliest synagogue in the Americas - excavated and rebuilt as a museum, with the original mikveh exposed under glass. When the Portuguese retook Pernambuco in 1654 the community dispersed, and part of it reached New Amsterdam, which is how the first Jewish settlement in what became New York traces back to this street. Rua do Bom Jesus outside is a row of restored merchant houses. Recife's Carnival opens here with the Galo da Madrugada, a bloco that draws crowds counted in the hundreds of thousands, and frevo is the music throughout.

What you actually see

• Kahal Zur Israel - the first synagogue in the Americas, with its mikveh exposed.
• Rua do Bom Jesus - restored merchant houses along the old commercial street.
• The Galo da Madrugada - the bloco that opens Carnival from this quarter.
• A port island - bridges, warehouses and the harbour edge.

When to go

September to March; Carnival for the Galo. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The district is lively at weekends and during events and dead on weekday evenings, when care is needed. The synagogue museum is small and keeps limited hours. Much of the quarter outside the restored streets is still derelict.

Nearby

Olinda is a short ride north; Brennand's museums are on the city's western edge.