Down South American Way

João Pessoa is the capital of the state of Paraiba in the northeast of Brazil. Its old town is known for its baroque and art nouveau architecture. It was also held by the Dutch for around 20 years in the 17th century. Its name has changed several times and its current name, literally translated as “John Person”, dates from 1930. The city’s name was altered from Paraíba as a tribute to an assassinated local politician, João Pessoa.

 

The 16th-century São Francisco Church has Portuguese painted tiles in its courtyard and an ornate, gold-adorned chapel. This church is very pretty and it holds a museum of local folk art, which is very interesting. It is an interesting example of Brazilian tropical colonial architecture – if you look closely at the decorations you can see motifs taken from tropical animals and plants.

 

The city is old, and has lots of influence in its architecture from the Portuguese, French and Dutch. The old town centre is very pretty and reminds me a little bit of Lisbon.

 

The Teatro Santa Rosa is a stunning building, which holds plays and musicals.

 

The Hotel globo is a very old hotel where famous Brazilians stayed a long time ago. It has beautiful views of the River Paraiba. I visited this place with some friends.

 

 

In the middle of the city there is a big lagoon, and the area around it is called Parque Solon de Lucena. It has recently been renovated; the pictures below are how it used to look a few years ago.

 

Cabo Branco Centre for Science and Culture is a place that holds exhibitions of local art, guest exhibitions, and science experiments. The building is very futuristic, and was designed by, perhaps, the most famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer – the architect that designed many of the buildings in Brasilia.

 

The Cabo Branco Lighthouse is located on the cliffs of Cabo Branco, district of the same name, in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Situated-approximately 800 metres to the north of Ponta do Seixas, easternmost point of the entire continent of the Americas.

 

This city in the northeast of Brazil is beautiful. Thanks to it position close to the equator it is an all-year-round destination; the average temperature here is 25c. Perfect weather!