Culture, tourism and leisure
Pernambuco is located in the tropics and offers 187 km of beaches with warm water and golden sand, fringed with coconut palms available all year round. The Portuguese and Dutch (present for 30 years) left a rich legacy ranging from churches and forts from the XVI century, to the old sugar mills. In contrast, modern architecture symbolizes the current state of development, especially in the larger cities.
Local art and crafts are a mixture of religious and profane tradition, expressed in ceramic, metal and wooden figures; lace, embroidery and carpets, from one end of the state to the other.
Typical dances such as “maracatu”, “ciranda”, “frevo”, “baião” and “forró” animate popular festivals the year round.
There is great gastronomic diversity in cuisine, with European, African and indigenous influences, which result in delicious fish, seafood and meat dishes, each with traditional seasoning. A great variety of juices and tropical fruit desserts are also available.
The abundance is so great that the Culture Ministry is considering bestowing the title of Cultural Heritage to the gastronomy of the region, which has already happened in Portugal, France and Spain.
Recife, the capital, has attracted important events in the sector, including “Recife Restaurant Week,” the largest worldwide gastronomic circuit. There are an estimated 3,900 establishments (bars, restaurants, and so on) in the state and 1,800 in Recife.
Also in the capital, you can find:
Museums
- Museu do Estado de Pernambuco
- Museu da Abolição – Iphan
- Museu de Arte Moderna Aloísio Magalhães – Mamam
- Museu do Homem do Nordeste
- Instituto Ricardo Brennand
- Oficina Francisco Brennand
Theatres
- Teatro Barreto Júnior
- Teatro Guararapes
- Teatro Samuel Campelo
- Teatro do Horto Dois Irmãos
- Teatro Apolo
- Teatro Capiba
- Teatro Hermilo Borba Filho
- Teatro do Parque
- Teatro Valdemar de Oliveira
- Teatro Mamulengo Só-Riso
- Teatro Fernando Santa Cruz
- Teatro Armazém 14
- Teatro Clênio Vanderley
- Teatro Espaço Cultural
- Teatro Artplex
- Teatro do Forte
- Teatro José Carlos Cavalcante Borges
- Teatro Santa Isabel
- Teatro da Universidade Federal (Concha acústica)
Malls
- Shopping Center Recife
- Paço Alfândega
- Shopping Boa Vista
- Plaza Shopping Casa Forte
- Shopping Tacaruna
Supermarket Chains
- Carrefour
- Walmart
- Pão de Açúcar
- Extra
Highlights of Pernambuco
The Galo da Madrugada (Midnight Rooster) is the biggest Carnival group in the world (Guinness Book)
The Historic Center of Olinda and the Fernando de Noronha Reserves (archipelago) are UNESCO Heritage sites.
The theater-city Nova Jerusalém, located in the municipality of Fazenda Nova, (200km from Recife) is the biggest open air theater in the world. The architecture is a replica of the Holy city. For four decades, during Holy Week, the Passion of Christ has been performed by a cast of over 500 actors.
Porto de Galinhas Beach, located in the municipality of Ipojuca, 60 km from Recife, offers more than 18 km of white sand beaches, clear warm waters, fringed with coconut palms. There is an extensive network of tourist services available.
