A land of Grace and Beauty.
Vitoria enthralls the traveller with its landscapes dotted with cliff faces, its learning, its flavours and above all its welcoming people.
Nature played its part with care, sculpturing the countryside with magnificent rocks and cliffs, which dominate half of the Island. The other half is scattered with blocks of richly coloured stones, light brown, grey, coffee coloured, all glowing under the strong sunlight.
On this island of contrasts, Vitoria, the Capital of Espirito Santo State, was founded on the edge of a bay surrounded by mountains, beaches, coves, dotted islands, islets and massive outcrops of solid rock that emerge from the calm sea.
Man completed the picture with his creative genius and ingenuity. He built bridges and footbridges to join the islands, constructed anchorages and ports and dotted the turquoise coloured sea with boats, schooners, yachts and brightly painted fishing vessels. In days gone by, religious people must have felt the presence of the saints close to such rare natural surroundings, and so were inspired to construct churches and convents upon the mountain top ridges. In 1558, the Franciscans built a chapel upon the rocks at the Convento da Penha in Vila Velha. Following these examples, it is now common to see scattered here and there, the foundations of many houses and buildings, even of habitats constructed around boulders.
The Vitoria landscapes make one recall the words of the Italian writer Alberto Movaria (1907 – 1990). During one of his visits to Brazil, being enchanted by the beauty of the Country`s countryside, remarked that “magnificent countryside can be a cultural experience”. The sea shore has been grassed and planted with Coconut Palms and Acacia, which shade the paths to the sunshade dotted beaches. There are many public squares, including the Praca dos Desejos, dos Namorados (the square of lovers` wishes) with its paths along which the lovers may stroll, bicycle or roller skate. The result of this natural and man made beauty is to show that Vitoria is indeed a City created for pleasure. Here, you will find modern hotels and buildings, tree lined avenues, beautiful beaches, restaurants and shops and even better, every thing is nearby. Just an hour away is an area with a gentler climate where the first German and Italian immigrants settled.
During your visit, a trip to the cliff tops is a must, despite the stiff clime and decent. The views offer many different angles of the City, and enable you to look into the past, and see some of its history.
To overcome the challenges of the City`s complicated geography, pathways, ramps and steps have been constructed. These steps are of vital importance, connecting as they do, the lower and upper parts of the City, and one of the most famous are the Escadaria Barbara Lindenburg steps, which are decorated with statues, gardens and fountains. The steps connect the port with the Palacio Anchieta, whose construction was started by the Jesuits towards the end of the 16th century. The building is now the home of the State Government. Under the protective blessing of Padre Anchieta, a brisk hike takes you the Capela de Santa Luiza, founded in 1537, and the oldest edifice of the City. The building, which has been restored by Iphan – Instituto de Patrimonia Historico e Artistico Nacional, has simple architecture, and is built along the whole length of a single block of stone. Another unusual feature is that the door is situated in the left corner of the façade.
Another church which merits a visit is Sao Goncalo, completed in 1707. According to popular belief, this is the church of “happy and enduring marriages”. The young guides will tell you that D.Pedro considered this church to be the most beautiful of all Vitoria. Your itinerary which is part of the “Projeto Visitar”, includes, in addition to the foregoing, the Convento de Sao Francisco, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosario, the Escadaria Maria Ortiz, the Catedral Metropolitana, with its wonderful stain glass windows and rows of colonial houses, such as Casa Porto, the old headquarters of the Capitania dos Portos. However, none of the hiking involved in completing these visits compares to the two kilometre walk to the Convento da Penha in Vila Velha, even without completing the distance as some pilgrims do! On their knees! However, for those who so wish, the journey may be done by car.
With your soul cleansed, it is now time to refresh yourself by taking a swim and enjoying a well deserved meal. Having seen from on high, the lovely curving beaches, you will now want to feel the sand between your toes and plunge into the limpid, blue waters. Three beaches, Camburi, do Canto and da Curva da Jurema are town beaches, all tree lined, with kiosks that serve fresh, cool Coconut juice. (Espirito Santo State is the largest producer of green Coconuts in Brazil) accompanied by delicious, freshly made “Capixapa” snacks (from Espirito Santo). The beaches of the neighbouring islands, including do Frade and do Boi, are more bucolic, and retain that pungent sea air smell that you find near pristine clean beaches. Some beaches have “natural” swimming pools, and swimmers share the waters with brightly painted boats in which fishermen sit mending their nets. This is really worth something, is it not?