Travel Guide Ilha De Itaparica

Opposite Salvador, Itaparica is a very popular island, crowded on weekends and in summer. Around 1547, the Jesuits built one of the first churches in Brazil here. Dutch in the 17th century, it was the last stronghold of the supporters of Portuguese Brazil. Surrounded by Mata Atlântica, the villages are quiet. The population, which manufactures objects out of straw, goes from 28 000 inhabitants in winter to 180 000 in summer. The beaches are beautiful, but the main one, at Mar Grande, is polluted. You can swim after Penha, on a pretty beach. Further south, the beach of Caixa Prego is pleasant and healthy. You can reach it by boat from the pier of Salvador