Recife is one of the oldest towns in Brazil. The Portuguese first settled there but the struggle to push the French and Dutch further north, to Guyanas, lasted a long time. Very quickly, thanks to the expansion of the sugarcane, the town prospered and it became necessary to enlarge the colony.
Olinda, on a site some distance from there, became the seat of the bourgeoisie and the administration, while Recife became a very important port, affirming its status as a commercial centre and then an industrial centre since the nineteenth century.

Today, Recife is an urban maze entangled with nature. The heart of the city sits on a network of rivers ending here their journey to the sea in the middle of a thick mangrove. From this situation was born the somewhat exaggerated name of "Brazilian Venice".
This geography making it particularly difficult to orientate oneself, added to the fact that the locals show reserve before expressing their hospitality, make a place difficult to know right away...

Recife is incontestably a town worth getting a guide for, in order to discover and make the best of as much as you can. The areas of interest are scattered around the city and can be visited in the same day. From the colonial relics of the ancient center (Saint Anthony's Convent, the Golden Chapel of the Terceira Ordem of São Francisco, Forte das Cinco Pontas, the Malakoff tour, Bom Jesus Street...) to the beaches of Boa Viagem, passing through the permanently agitated market areas.

In front of the office of the oldest daily newspaper in South America, the "Diario du Pernambuco", the street sellers offer mangoes and papaya while a few steps away the tasty crayfish buns are made on the spot "feitos na hora".
One can also visit a number of museums (The Man of the North East, Archaeology, Modern Art etc.) or make a curious detour to the museum of Francisco Brennand, one of the artists who symbolize this town, which is distinguished by its abundance of culture.

The sociologist Gilberto Freyre (whose house, now transformed into a foundation, can be visited) was born and bred in Recife.
In the last years Mangue Beat has emerged (literally, the rhythm of the mangrove), a fusion of sounds from the West (rock, electric, rap etc) and traditional rhythms.

This is not surprising when one is aware of the extreme wealth of cultural heritage at the disposal of contemporary artists.

We are in the land of frevo, a spectacular acrobatic dance, very fast music and a fanfare of brass instruments.

A few kilometers from Recife (strictly speaking it is really a neighborhood of the bigger town), the hills of Olinda are like a picture postcard. Located 8 degrees below the equator, this green mass of coconut palms and mango trees is brushed by the Atlantic winds and lined with white sand beaches dominated by a turquoise sea. Legend tells us that the first Portuguese Governor of the region was so moved by the beauty of the site, that he exclaimed "O linda situação para uma vila" which means "What a wonderful site for a city". That is how Olinda was named.
Olinda has become one of the treasures of Brazilian cultural heritage. Today one can admire the Convent São Francisco, the first Franciscan Convent in Brazil. Hidden among coconut trees, it was rebuilt between 1715 and 1754. Monks still dwell in this Baroque sanctuary. The sacristy and the choir gallery are covered with glazed tiles from the eighteenth century; those blue ceramics imported from Portugal telling the Saint history. A visit to Olinda, along the narrow hilly streets declared World Heritage listed by UNESCO, offers a trip back in time to the world of colonial Portugal.

Departure from the pousada at 09:00 with our English-speaking guide, for a guided tour of Recife’s historical neighborhoods (Recife Antigo, São António, São José and Boa Vista). In 1630, when they invaded the area, the Dutch set fire to Olinda, the Portuguese capital, to erect nearby, in a web of mangroves and islands, the town of Recife. There, they accomplished the amazing feat of building in less than 30 years numerous ballasts, bridges, canals as well as accomplishing large urbanization and sanitary works.
In 1657, the Portuguese recovered their land and embellished it with treasures such as the Capela Dourada (the Golden Chapel), the Teatro Santa Isabel, the São Francisco Church, the Pátio São Pedro...
In the neighborhood of São José, in a colorful atmosphere, hundreds of small merchants, each day, set up their stall inside or around the splendid metallic structure typical of the Art Nouveau of the São José market. Handicraft, fruits, vegetables, fish, medicinal plants…  Anything can be found there, everything can be bought.
We reach the opposite shore of the Capibaribe River, noticing along the way the rich colors of the houses of the Rua da Aurora, to enter the neighborhood of Boa Vista where we enjoy a half an hour rest in the interior patio of the market in the company of the locals.  After lunch in a typical restaurant (not included), we visit the famous distillery of cachaça Carvalheira.
Late in the afternoon, when the suns’ rays start to wane, we pass through the fishing village of Brasilia Teimosa to stroll along the ocean shores on the arrecifes (coral) all the way to the Sculptures Park (F. Brennand’ work). From there, we cross the port in a barge to reach Marco Zero where our driver awaits us to take us back to the pousada.
Entrance to museums and sites included. Meals not included. Night in a pousada in Olinda

We depart from the pousada at 09:00 with our English-speaking guide.
Choice to visit two museums:
- Francisco Brennand workshop museum (Monday to Friday)
In an old brick factory located in one of the rare places where some of the Mata Atlântica still persists, Francisco Brennand, considered one of the greatest contemporary artist of Pernambuco, displays his sculptures and paintings on ceramic.
- Museum of the Man of the Nordeste (everyday)
A very interesting exhibit of the daily life of the Nordestin (man from the Nordeste region), its origins, its culture and its traditions. It is probably one of the best documented, most alive, and most educative of the country in treatment of the cultural history of this fascination area: the Nordeste.
- Foundation Gilberto Freyre (Monday to Friday)
This foundation is the house where lived Gilberto Freyre (1900-1987) author of numerous reference works on Brazilian civilization including the mandatory Master and Slave. This visit allows to not only learn many interesting things about the life and the fascinating work of the most illustrious Brazilian anthropologist but also gives us an insight into the lifestyle of the Recifense higher bourgeois class of the 20th century.
- Institute Ricardo Brennand (Tuesday to Sunday)
Passionate about the Middle Ages, Ricardo Brennand (Francisco’s cousin) had an immense museum resembling a medieval castle built in which he exhibited an impressive collection of armors, swords, and shields…as well as 16th century paintings including many works of Frans Post, first European artist to paint scenery from the New World.
- Cachaça Carvalheira distillery (Monday to Friday)

OLINDA / VISIT
Departure from the hotel at 09:00 with our English-speaking guide for a guided stroll in the streets of Olinda, the city of eight hills.
Founded in 1537, Olinda (the beautiful) is one of Brazil’s colonial gems. Its steep small streets and their irregular cobble stones, its colorful, cheerful colonial houses, its mansions and their wrought iron balconies and its plain convents accompanied by their baroque churches containing immeasurable wealth; all of which made this beautiful town worthy of being registered as a world heritage site by Unesco since 1982.
Return to the pousada in the late morning.
Entrance fees to museums and sites included. Meals open. Night in a pousada in Olinda.

Departure for Iguarassu at 09:00 by private transportation with our English-speaking guide. Founded in 1535, this small, pleasant historical town possesses a rich patrimony of churches and convents, notably igreja de São Cosme e Damião, the oldest church in Brazil, and the Santo António convent built by the Franciscan monks in 1588.
We stroll through the paved streets to admire the beautiful colonial facades with their elaborate wrought iron balconies, to then go on our way to Itamaracá Island where the Dutch erected in 1631, under the orders of Prince of Nassau, the impressive Fort Orange.
Near the fort, dedicated to the control of this coastal area, the Eco-Parque Peixe-Boi, managed by Ibama (Brazilian Institute of Environmental Protection) presents the very interesting project of reintroduction of the endangered manatee (a large aquatic mammal also known as sea cows) in the rivers crossing the area.
From Fort Orange, following a trail dating from the Dutch domination, we skirt the coast on foot towards Vila Velha, a very ancient and charming small village. We will take our lunch there in a typical restaurant (not included) and then get back in the car to visit the engenho (sugar mill) Monjope dating from 1756, bearing witness to the time of slavery in Pernambuco.
The site has preserved its master’s house (casa grande), its slaves’ house (senzala), its chapel and its sugar cane distillery. Return to Recife (or Olinda) at around 18:00.

Departure at 09:00 in our private vehicle with our English-speaking guide in the direction of the Mata Norte of Pernambuco, to visit the sugar cane plantations, the sugar mills and all get acquainted with the folklore belonging to this traditional culture.
Visit of the Mauro Mota Cultural Space in the village of Nazaré da Mata where we witness the beauty of the Maracatu, dance of African origin, executed by the black slaves that use to accompany the crowning ceremonies of the Congolese kings. This symbolic presentation, which use to be a demand act, has today become the favorite entertainment of the sugar cane workers: a king, a queen, and their court are chosen to parade in pompous costumes to the frenetic rhythm of percussions and other bell sounds.
We then visit an engenho (sugar mill) in which are still produced, following ancestral methods, the rapadura (a type of candy obtained by light refining of the molasses), brown sugar as well as sugar cane honey. Lunch in a fazenda-guesthouse and afternoon open in the fazenda. Return to Recife (or Olinda) towards 18:00.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada in Olinda or Recife.