Other sights in Salvador
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Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo
The original Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo, founded in 1636, burnt to the ground; the present crumbling neoclassical structure dates from 1828. The nave has a French organ and a baroque altar with a scandalous statue of Nossa Senhora do Carmo. Church historians claim the statue was modeled in the likeness of Isabel II, the daughter of Garcia d’Ávila (of Praia do Forte fame), the largest landholder in the Northeast. The artist, known as O Cabra (Half-Caste), was a slave with no artistic training, who was supposedly besotted with Isabel II. The Christ-child cradled in the statue’s arms has black features – could this be what O Cabra imagined their love child would look…
reviewed
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Solar do Unhão
The Solar do Unhão is a wonderfully preserved 18th-century complex that served as a transfer point for sugar shipments. Legends say it is haunted by the ghosts of murdered slaves. Today, this dark place houses the Museu de Arte Moderna (%3329 0660; www.mam.ba.gov.br, in Portuguese; admission free; h2-7pm Tue-Fri, 2-10pm Sat), with a changing display of avant-garde exhibits (and erratic opening times). A fine restaurant staging a popular evening folklore show (and Saturday evening concert) occupies the former store house. The hillside sculpture garden, with bay views, is stunning at sunset. Take a taxi – the place is off bus routes and the desolate walk is known for…
reviewed
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Museu Afro-Brasileiro
Holding one of Bahia’s most important collections, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro exhibits wood carvings, baskets, pottery and other artwork and crafts linking Brazilian and African artistic traditions. The highlight of the museum is a room lined with 27 huge, breathtaking carved wooden panels by Argentine-born Carybé, who is perhaps Salvador’s most renowned 20th-century fine artist. The panels are stylized depictions of orixás (deities of the Afro-Brazilian religions), inlaid with shells and metals. There’s also a worthwhile exhibit of photography, sacred objects and ceremonial apparel demonstrating the African roots of Brazilian Candomblé.
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Mercado Modelo
The original 1861 Customs House was partially destroyed in a fire in 1986. After reconstruction, it was transformed into a tourist market, the Mercado Modelo. When shipments of new slaves arrived into port, they were stored in the watery depths of this building while awaiting auction. Night guards report all sorts of phantasmic activity after closing hours. Live music and free capoeira demonstrations often occur out back – be sure to ask the price before snapping photos of the capoeiristas. There’s a touristy but fun café-restaurant, Camafeu, on the upper level; the terrace, looking over the bay, is ideal for a shopping break.
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Forte de Santo Antônio da Barra
Built in 1698, Bahia’s oldest fort is more commonly called the Farol da Barra for the lighthouse (South America’s oldest) within its walls. In addition to having superb views, the fort houses an excellent nautical museum, with relics and displays from the days of Portuguese seafaring (and lots of interesting information in English.) As you catch the sunset here – from the grassy ledge behind the fort or from the museum’s gorgeous terrace café – realize that Salvador’s peninsula is the only location in Brazil where the sun appears to set over the ocean.
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Museu Carlos Costa Pinto
In a lovely two-story mansion, the Museu Carlos Costa Pinto houses one of Salvador’s best collections of decorative art. Nicely lit displays highlight the unique works of talented artisans working in gold, crystal, porcelain and silver. Beautifully carved coral jewelry, tortoiseshell fans and elaborate balangandans (ethnic waist chains with attached charms) are among the highlights. Don’t miss the chocolate mousse at the charming outdoor café.
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Museu da Cidade
Rather like the city itself, Museu da Cidade contains an eclectic assortment of the old and the modern, the sacred and the profane. Exhibits include Candomblé orixá costumes, the personal effects of the poet Castro Alves (author of Návio Negreiro, or Slave Ship, and one of the first public figures to protest slavery), and traditional rag dolls enacting quotidian colonial life, as well as paintings and sculptures.
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Museu da Misericórdia
The Museu da Misericórdia is housed in a marvelous 17th-century edifice, this one serving as Brazil’s first hospital. Visits here include a guided tour (in Portuguese) that allows a glimpse of fine period furnishings, portraits and assorted finery dating back four centuries. You’ll also see the attached Igreja da Misericórdia, with its azulejos and a sacristy featuring impressive 18th-century woodwork.
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Igreja NS do Rosário dos Pretos
The king of Portugal gave the Irmanidade dos Homens Pretos (Brotherhood of Black Men) the land for the periwinkle-blue Igreja NS do Rosário dos Pretos in 1704. Building in their free time, it took these slaves and freed slaves almost 100 years to complete it. The rococo facade includes design elements pertaining to Candomblé (ask a guide to point them out) and tiled towers with an indigenous flavor.
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Elevador Lacerda
The beautifully restored, art-deco Elevador Lacerda connects the Cidade Alta with Comércio, via four elevators traveling 72m in about 20 seconds. The Jesuits installed the first manual rope-and-pulley elevator around 1610 to transport goods and passengers from the port to the settlement. In 1868 an iron structure with clanking steam elevators was inaugurated, replaced by an electric system in 1928.
reviewed
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Mercado São Joaquim
The die-hard market fan will enjoy Mercado São Joaquim, a small city of sketchy waterfront stalls about 2km north of the Elevador Lacerda. Puddles of green slime, a meat neighborhood capable of converting the unprepared into a devout vegetarian, and bar stalls where rough hands grip glasses of rougher cachaça (sugarcane alcohol) let you know this is the real thing.
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Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco
Displeased with the inclusion of a Mason symbol – an eagle – in the facade of the Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, church fathers ordered the whole thing covered over in the late 18th century. It wasn’t seen until a workman installing wiring in the 1930s serendipitously discovered the beautiful, baroque sandstone facade (the only one of its kind in Brazil).
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Igreja e Convento São Francisco
One of Brazil’s most magnificent churches, the baroque Igreja e Convento São Francisco is crammed with displays of wealth and splendor. An 80kg silver chandelier dangles over ornate wood carvings smothered in gold leaf, and the convent courtyard is paneled with hand-painted azulejos (Portuguese tiles). The complex was finished in 1723.
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Museu de Arte Sacra da Bahia
Housed in a tranquil 17th-century cloister, the Museu de Arte Sacra da Bahia has high stone walls, a shady courtyard and bay views. Displayed in the former monks’ quarters (of the Carmelitas Descalços, or Barefoot Carmelites, order) is a collection of 17th- and 18th-century sacred art, including carvings from the demolished Igreja da Sé.
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Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia
Below the Museu Afro-Brasileiro, the Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia exhibits indigenous Brazilian pottery, bows and arrows, masks and feather headpieces. Also tucked between the building’s arching stone foundations is 19th-century glass and porcelain found during the excavations for the metro.
reviewed
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Catedral Basílica
The Catedral Basílica dates from 1672 and is a marvelous example of Jesuit architecture. The interior is elegant and simple, with marble-covered walls and pillars that emphasize verticality. The sacristy has a beautiful carved jacaranda archway and a painted dome and floor.
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Palácio Rio Branco
Overlooking the plaza, the impressive Palácio Rio Branco was reconstructed in 1919 after being partially ruined in a bombing and subsequent fire. The original 1549 structure housed the offices of Tomé de Souza, Brazil’s first governor general.
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Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado
If you read Portuguese, pay a visit to the Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado and learn about the life of Brazil’s best-known international novelist. A wall of Amado’s book covers in every major language demonstrates his widespread popularity.
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Largo do Pelourinho
The steep Largo do Pelourinho is a wide square that was once the site of the pelourinho (whipping post), where slaves were auctioned (historians disagree about whether slaves were publicly tortured here).
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Terreiro de Jesus
The Terreiro de Jesus is a historic site of religious celebrations, and is ringed by four churches, as well as the 19th-century Faculdade de Medicina Building.
reviewed
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Plano Inclinado Gonçalves
At the far end of Praça da Sé, the 1874 funicular railway Plano Inclinado Gonçalves rolls 30-passenger cars between Cidade Alta and Cidade Baixa on terrifyingly steep tracks.
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