Walking Tour Of Rio
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil February 14, 2017
The Museum of Tomorrow, a science museum in the heart of Rio.
Walking around Rio is the best way to get to know it. Thanks to its unique topography and gobsmacking natural beauty, it offers a city walk like nowhere else on earth, taking in colonial villages and the biggest favela in Latin America, two of the world's most famous beaches and some of Brazil's last remaining virgin Atlantic rainforest.
Ethnicities is still perhaps Kobra’s most famous work to date, and is one of the city’s star attractions.
Olympic Boulevard
On this tour, our guide Humberto met us at the cruise port terminal gates of Pier Maua. Right smack in front of the cruise terminal is Ethnicities, a 3,000 square meter mural and 15.5 meters high. It features the faces of indigenous people from the five main continents, replicating the symbol of the five olympic rings. This mural was made by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, a project for Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Kobra decided to bring together representatives of five tribes, one from each continent: Huli (Oceania), Mursi (Africa), Kayin (Asia), Supi (Europe), and the Tapajós (America). More than 3,000 spray cans, 700 liters of colored paint, and 1800 liters of white paint (used to make the background) were used. It took two months of work to complete the mural, working 12 hours a day.
Mauá Square
Maua Square is the one of the most beuatiful and walkable public spaces in Rio de Janeiro.
From the Olympic Boulevard, it’s about a four-minutes walk to Mauá Square. This square is a mixture of history and modernity. Here we’ll find the Museum of Tomorrow and the Museum of Art. Mauá Square used to be an amphitheater for several historical moments in Rio de Janeiro. Today it’s a popular spot for locals to have a stroll, but it also hosts different cultural events especially during weekends.
Museu do Amanha or The Museum of Tomorrow. Housed in an ultra-modern structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow (Museu do Amanhã uses interactive exhibits and state-of-the-art simulators to explore the ecology, sustainability, and the future of or planet.
The museum complex encompasses 15 thousand square metres and includes eight exhibition rooms and approximately 2,400 square metres, divided across four floors.
Rio Art Museum
Just across the Museum of Tomorrow is the Rio Art Museum. The museum’s striking architecture includes a colonial mansion connected to what was once a parking garage, and each structure contains artwork with a different focus. In both buildings, visitors can explore six floors of permanent and temporary exhibitions, which include paintings, sculptures, photography, and installation art pieces. The visit to the rooftop terrace is a must for a view over the waterfront.
Rio's Santa Teresa neighborhood features favelas.
The next part of our tour was the the focal point of Rio's favelas, Rocinha. It is Rio de Janeiro's largest “favela” or slum, with around 180,000 people living in the tightly packed city. Despite its large population, Rocinha takes up less than a square mile of land. This extreme lack of space forces families to build houses on top of one another or squeezed into any spare space. But it’s not dirty. Through alleys and streets, we saw and learned about their history and social culture. The densely packed communities often live without reliable electricity, sewage systems, or drinkable water. But for the people who live in this slum on the side of one of Rio de Janeiro’s mountains, this is home and they know it as well as anyone knows their neighbourhood. Once someone has lived on their patch of land for five years, it legally becomes theirs and the government can’t move them on. It’s this stability that encourages investment by the locals in their neighbourhood.
Most residents have blue water tanks on their roofs to store an emergency supply of water for when the company temporarily cuts them off. In one small courtyard we emerge into, murals have been painted on all the walls and caged pet birds chirp as the rays of sun cut down from the sky, visible through a break of the homes high above.In recent years, efforts to improve living conditions have been successful in certain favelas, but problems remain complex and far-reaching.
Dangerous? Not quite! Despite the claims of the Media and people, we felt that the Rocinha Favela is one of the safest place in all Rio. Our guide Humberto knew a lot of the residents and the locals actually like having tourists come through their community to see what life is really like. And despite living in abject conditions, they seemed happy and friendly.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon- Valongo
Located on the slope of the Conceição Hill, the Valongo hanging garden undergone refurbishment.
Located at the end of Camerino Street, the Jardim Suspensos on the Morro da Conceição stands in the most historic district of Rio. In colonial times the Morro was directly between the port and the main trading markets. The primary goods moving in between these sites were human chattel. The city was built around the port that serviced the slave trade.
Designed by landscape architect Luis Rei in 1906, the Hanging Gardens call primarily to antiquity, and also to the gardens of Romantic era Europe. The ancients’ descriptions of Babylon’s lost gardens are striking. Didorus Siculus wrote of the fabled Hanging Gardens’ construction being led by a Syrian king, seeking to please his harem “longing for the meadows of [their] mountains.”
Designed as a romantic garden, it contained terrace, walks, trees, gas burners, water tank for irrigation, flower beds and grass, and rustic garden.
The Jardims Suspensos in Rio de Janeiro are also built into a wall. Their design and implementation served the dual purpose of slope support-located seven meters above street level- and aesthetic urban space.
The original design included four statues of the Roman gods Minerva, Mercury, Ceres and Mars. Set away from many inhabitants of the surrounding neighborhood and hill, locals did not nurse the same pride Perreira Passos did and the Garden fell deeply into disrepair.
The Garden was subjected to vandalism for many decades, and revitalized again in 2012 under the Porto Maravilha campaign. This could have been a moment to replace “foreign” design with Brazilian creation, but yet, the Jardims were restored to their original plans, and the Roman gods– removed due to vandalism– albeit plaster copies, returned to their places.
Cais do Valongo
Built in 1811, it was the site of landing and trading of enslaved Africans until 1831.
The docks where the African slaves used to arrive in the 1800s. It is a world heritage site. It is in the former harbor area of Rio de Janeiro in which the old stone wharf was built for the landing of enslaved Africans reaching the South American continent from 1811 onwards
Rio’s Port is deeply connected to the African and Afro-Brazilian history of the city, and Brazil as a whole. Just imagine samba, capoeira or feijoada, the things that Brazil is known for in the world. All these things have their roots in the African slave communities of Brazil!
Approximately five million of the 10 million African slaves shipped to the Americas were brought to Brazil, and Rio de Janeiro was the main point of arrival, making it the largest slave port in world history. In the early 19th century half of the city’s population was enslaved. Slaves were brought to Rio on squalid ships and sold here. The Valongo was renamed and covered over in 1843 for the arrival of future Emperor Dom Pedro II’s Italian bride and became known as The Empress’ Wharf (Cais da Imperetriz). After being filled in and paved over in 1911, the original Valongo remained ignored until 2011 when it was uncovered and excavated during building works for the Marvelous Port redevelopment project.
The Valongo Wharf (Portuguese: Cais do Valongo) is an old dock located in the port area of Rio de Janeiro,
Right next to and standing over the Valongo is a beautiful red-brick warehouse, built by Rebouças in 1870. He is known for modernizing ports across Brazil and for designing a modern sanitation system for the city, putting an end to the practice of using slaves to transport Rio’s sewage by hand.
In fact, the building was a railroad station by the dock to increase the export of coffee. Therefore, it is a landmark in the history of the country and the black movement. The building will house a Reference Center for the Celebration of African Heritage, which will be under the responsibility of the Palmares Cultural Foundation. The Archaeological Site of the Cais do Valongo not only represents the main Africans enslaved arrival port throughout the Americas, as it is the only one that has been materially preserved, on this side of the Atlantic.
Pedra do Sal
It was originally a slave market, so this square naturally became home to the sounds of chorinho and samba, as the slaves sang songs about home.
The neighborhood where we find the Salt Stone is the oldest continuously inhabited Black neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. The narrow, winding streets that feed deep inside the rock formations created a space where no white person would chase you. The larger community extended all the way to Praça Onze de Junho. Known as Little Africa, it where Rio’s famous samba and carnival traditions originated. It also provides information on the traditional Afro-Brazilian religions which flourished in the region.
Instituto de Pesquisa e Memoria Pretos Novos
Beyond the Port Zone, the website also pinpoints places to visit next door in downtown Rio, including a pair of buildings around the corner from Largo da Carioca: the Black Church and the Black Museum. It is a Memorial to the Newly arrived African enslaved in Rio de Janeiro. African arrived in Rio between the mid-eighteen century and late nineteenth. IPN is a Memorial Museum located on the Archaeological Site of the “New Blacks Cemetery”.
The historical place is also known for being part of the history of Samba and for being a point of sale for the slaves that come on the ships of Negreiros.
Torched in 1967, the buildings are sparsely decorated and in poor condition. The museum is a useful stopping-point on a journey around Afro-Rio, especially for the way its small collection, managed by one dedicated curator, shows the difference between the reality of slavery in the city and the sanitized image of slavery, promoted in paintings from the time, that still persists in the nation’s memory today. As the Walking Tour mentions, the entrance to the Black Museum is confusingly difficult to find.
Monumento de Mercedes Baptista, the first black woman to join Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro's corps de ballet.
Since 2005, the IPN has endeavored to publicize the memory of the cemetery and those buried there, as well as the history of the enslaved and their descendants in the locality. It is for this purpose that it regularly promotes Afro-Brazilian cultural activities and offers wide audience workshops on the history and culture of African descent. The seriousness of its work has led to recognition by the State, which has made it a Culture Place since 2009.
Morro da Conceicao
Marked by many homes for the lower middle class and numerous sheds, warehouses and depots are located in the region.
Morro da Conceição (Conception Hill) at Saúde Neighborhood - A historical neighborhood (1590). Uniquely full of hilly cobblestone streets, charming colonial Portuguese architecture houses, and numerous artist homes galleries. Saúde was elected by Time Out a famous destination guide, one of the 49th coolest places in the world.
The square hosted one part of a slave market where, in some of its 20th century buildings, they kept African captives under the control of slave traders.
The Largo de São Francisco da Prainha
Popularly known as Largo da Prainha is located at the foot of Morro da Conceição, district of Saúde, in the Central Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before the construction of the Port of Rio de Janeiro, there was a small beach there, which extended to what is now Praça Mauá. Due to successive landfills in the region, the beach disappeared. The square received its name for being located near the Church of São Francisco da Prainha, built-in 1696, by order of Father Francisco da Motta.
One of the oldest churches in Rio de Janeiro.
Igreja de Sao Francisco da Prainha
A church that was burned to the ground during the French invasion in 1711 led by Jean François. In a Jesuit baroque style, the church was donated in testament to the Third Order of São Francisco da Penitência, in 1704. At Largo da Prainha you’ll see the Mercedes Baptista Statue. In fact, she was the very first African-Brazilian ballet dancer to enroll in the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro's ballet group in the late 1940s. Fun, ice beer, samba, and black music are always in the air.
Pira Olímpica
The Brazilian Olympic cauldron breaks with a tradition of cauldrons that produce a large volume of fire. This cauldron is intentionally small and low emission.
Here, you can see the 2016 Summer Olympics cauldron.
We also walked through the alleys from Travessa do Comércio and saw some preserved traits from colonial times. Arco do Teles is one of them. It is the architectural landmark in the history of the city, and is what remains of the former residence of the Telles de Menezes family. It connects XV Square to Travessa do Comércio.
The Church of Our Lady of Candelaria
One of the richest and most beautiful churches in all of Brazil is the Church of our Lady of Candelaria.
It is is one of the most beautiful churches in Brazil. It is one of the main religious monuments of the city, the traditional stage of weddings of the Carioca society.
Brazil is a devout Catholic nation – there’s over 130 million Roman Catholics in the country, and the church makes up a big part of their life. But this church isn’t your usual traditional affair and that’s what makes it so special. The dome of the Candelaria Church has long been the tallest building in the city. In the 19th century, Renaissance details began to emerge inside the church. The floors are made of marble and the frescoes were painted by Brazilian artist Joao Zeferino da Costa. In 1901, a beautiful brass door was installed at the entrance to the church, the work of the Portuguese artist Teixeir Lopes.
Once we stepped inside the strange giant concrete structure, we were amazed by the stunning stained glass panels shrouding the pews. We apent a few quiet minutes relaxing in the cool, dark interior and admiring the stained glass..
A magnificent building of neo-classical French architectural style, a design that was considered symbolic of Rio de Janeiro's modernization.
The Pedro Ernesto Palace
This building that now houses the City Council of the municipality, and is part of one of the most valuable architectural ensembles of the city. In the main facade facing the square, perfectly symmetrical and rich in details, the access staircase, the upper gallery with its double columns and the two "tempiettos" that adorn the corners of the building deserve special attention.
The Cultural Center of the Federal Justice
Our group with our excellent guide, Humberto.
It is a known space for incentivizing and ensuring access of the population to many ways of cultural expression, hosting expositions, dance and music shows, courses, seminars, lectures and others.
This marvelous palace in the center of the city draws attention to those who pass by and get delighted with its Corinthian columns and its eclectic style. The Tiradentes Palace was the former building of the Brazilian National Congress, between 1926 and 1960, and is the current seat of the State Legislative Assembly
Due to its architectural and historical significance, it is one of Brazil's most important historic buildings.
Paco Imperial
It is an 18th-century colonial building built for governors' residence, now a Cultural Center.
Built in 1743, it was used as the House of the Viceroys of Brazil. With the entrance of the Court of D. João VI to Rio de Janeiro, the Palace became the seat of the governments of the Kingdom and the Empire. After the Proclamation of the Republic, the Post and Telegraph were located. In 1938, it was listed by National Historical and Artistic Heritage and today is one of the milestones of the city's cultural history.
Since 1985, Paço Imperial has been a cultural center linked to the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute of the Ministry of Culture, and it has a free entrance all year round.
The beautiful dome of the Correios Cultural center.
Correios Cultural Centre
The architectural lines of the façade is ecletic style, feature the beginning of the century, built to headquarter a Brazilian Lloyd school. But it didn’t happen and the building was used, for more than 50 years, to make the administrative and operational post areas could work. In 80s, the immobile was disabled to reform it, being reopened in July 2nd, in 1992, partly renovated, to receive the “Exposição Ecológica 92”, integral event of the United Nations Conference on Environment Calendar. – RIO 92
Colombo Bakery
Lastly, after our walk around Avenida Rio Branco, we stopped by at Confeitaria Colombo. Nobody should leave Rio without visiting and tasting its classic pastry, snacks and sweets. It’s a century-old café with huge built-in mirrors and offers its guests Brazilian and French cuisines
It was built by 2 Portuguese immigrants in 1894, one of them was Manuel Lebrão, born in the Northeast of Portugal in Alto do Minho. He arrived in Rio when he was 13 years old, seeking a better life.
A coffeehouse located in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is one of the main landmarks of the city's Central Region.
Today, as it is a result of a relation between Brazil and Portugal, the bakery offers options of both countries. Brigadeiro, which is Brazilian most popular national sweet and Pastel de Nata, the famous Portuguese sweet. Between the savories the famous Coxinha (friend savorie usually field with chicken) and cod fishes.
It is very elegant and a well-preserved old and decadent cafe in downtown Rio. This is the oldest restaurant still operating in its original four walls in Rio and the vibe is just incredible.
There are hundreds of teeny tiny pastries on display in glass cabinets at the entrance, but if you can drag your eyes past those and into the restaurant, you’ll see more high ceilings and beautiful architecture.
Ornate chandeliers and jacaranda wood mirrors make an elegant setting for breakfasts, brunches and afternoon teas.
If you can take a seat and admire the splendor of the place, you can check out the wrought-iron balcony wrapping around overhead, the gold trimming on everything, the original art on the walls and the soft yellow lamps illuminating everything.
We had to restrained ourselves from jumping straight for the cakes, but instead opted for something savory for take outs. Mind you, the whole menu is delicious. The cheese pastries and seafood snacks looked great! Unfortnately, w ehave to go back to the port.
Overall, our walking tour really gave us the opportunity to explore a part of Rio overlooked by many, yet a part of Rio which has a history and culture built into the Brazilian culture and psyche. It was a very informative tour – worth doing despite the heat and humidity on that day !