Monuments to visit Brazil

The mercado de São José gives the temperature of the popular Recife. Built by French architects, the iron market of the São José district is directly inspired by the Grenelle market. It was inaugurated in 1875 and today you can find more than 500 stalls selling a wide variety of products: handicrafts, medicinal herbs, cashew nuts, etc. It is always very pleasant to stroll around and get lost before going to the patio of São Pedro. Be careful, however, when the market closes, the neighborhood becomes empty and unsafe.

Going to a market is a great way to get a few snapshots of local life. Traditions and lifestyles are on display in the open air. Here, on one side, you have the most popular handicraft market with typical products for sale: ceramics, embroidery, straw objects, hammocks... The prices are very attractive! On the other side of the square you will find the fruit and vegetable market, also very nice.

From the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, you can walk along the hill to discover a panorama on the city. Following the main street you go down to Boa Viagem beach. On the road (about 1 km from Bonfim) you can take a stopover at the Fort São Felipe (or Forte of Nossa Senhora Monte Levels), fortress of the th century with white white walls and rounded turrets adorned with old cannons.

You can visit the Itaipu complex by bus, to be coupled with the falls on the Brazilian side. The Conjunto C or Itaipu Dam buses go there from the bus terminal in the center (R$ 3.20, 30 min). Installed on the Rio Paraná which separates Brazil from Paraguay, the Itaipu Dam is gigantic. It is 7.7 km long and stands 196 m high. It has 20 turbines. The last two turbines went into operation in 2007.

A bi-national project, the plant produces 91% of the electrical energy consumed in Paraguay and meets 25% of the demand of the entire Brazilian market.

In May 1974, the Itaipu Treaty led to the creation of the binational Itaipu entity, whose purpose is to build and manage the plant. The first Itaipu generating unit began producing electricity in May 1984. Thus, 10 turbines were assigned to Brazil and 10 others to Paraguay.

Today, Itaipu is the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world (even if it is no longer the largest dam since the Three Gorges Dam in China), which is why it was included in the ranking of the seven wonders of the technological world by the American magazine Popular Mechanics. The classic tour (2 hours) consists of the viewing of a documentary film in Portuguese or English. The special tour (over 14 years old, in small groups) includes a visit of the turbines with a technician, in the heart of the dam, but also the panoramic visit.

The eco-museum traces the history of the dam, from the first populations who lived there in prehistoric times to the arrival of the Guarani Indians in the region. We learn a lot about the natural ecosystems that live here and the different animal species.

The biological sanctuary shelters some animals saved before the flooding of the region when the dam was created. You can see the famous jaguar, if you are lucky! Count 2 hours for 2 km of walking in a beautiful nature, in company of the animals displaced following the construction of the dam which are in semi-liberty. It is not always easy to see them, and when it rains or is too windy the sanctuary is closed, as the animals are protecting themselves.

Tip : if you only plan to visit the panoramic tour and the eco-museum, you should know that on the Paraguay side the visit is free! It's a bit of an adventure to get there, but the experience is nice. On the other hand, if you want to visit the biological sanctuary, you will have to go to the visitors center of Foz de Iguaçu, on the Brazilian side.

House of the th century.

The most visited monument in the city and seat of government, the Piratini Palace on the beautiful Praça da Matriz was built in a French-inspired neoclassical style in the 1920s. It was Paul Landowski, the creator of the Corcovado in Rio, who designed the allegorical statues of Agriculture and Industry as well as those of the Primavera in the interior patio. Inside, the paintings of the painter Locatelli contain the history of the state. Of note are the grand French-style marble staircase and the grandiose Salon Negrinho do Pastoreio.

The market was built at the end of the 17th century and restored according to the original plans. Handicrafts, wood carvers' workshops, engravings, paintings. After the fire that destroyed Marim dos Caetés in 1601, the city began to be rebuilt by the Rua de São Bento, with the Palace of the Governors, then came the House of the Chamber and the prison, which were one above the other, and in front of them the public market. The market is U-shaped and has typical characteristics of buildings from the colonial period,

The neoclassical Potengi Palace dates from 1865. The Maranhão Theatre dates from 1904. The Palácio Potengi cultural space, or simply Palácio Potengi or Palácio da Cultura, is an imposing historical building dating from the 19th century located in Praça Sete de Setembro (September Square). The building, in neoclassical style, was the seat of government until the 1980s, and previously housed the State Assembly. The building is classified in the IPHAN. Today, it houses the Pinacoteca of the State of Rio Grande do Norte.

Built in 1911, in Florentine style, this building housed various social and scientific events. Today, it is the seat of the city hall of São Paulo.

Built in 1922, this neoclassical building is home to the headquarters of the Brazilian post (Correios).

It is a former prison, now occupied by small craft lodges. The building, which dates from the 19th century, was once an orphanage, then a residence, before being transformed and restored to house the tourist centre. It is one of the best places in the city for shopping. Shirts, dresses, hammocks, home decor, lace fabrics and souvenirs. On Thursday evenings, the center becomes a very lively place. This is the Forró do turista, a highlight of the Potiguar night.

This fort was built in January 1598. Isolated in the middle of the sands, at the mouth of the Potengi River, it is shaped like a star. It was built to defend the city against the French and pirate attacks. Known as Fortaleza dos Reis Magos, the fort was the first building in the city. It was begun by the Portuguese on January 6, 1598 (the day of the Three Kings), hence the origin of the name. The star-shaped fortress is the origin of the city's construction and is its main historical and cultural monument.