Through the passage of time.
It is said that Olinda received its name from the Portuguese Duarte Coelho in 1535 who, whilst seeking a site to create a new settlement in the Northeast of Brazil, on seeing the spectacular natural beauty of the locality exclaimed Oh! Linda. (Oh Beautiful!). His vision fell upon a promontory with a magnificent view of the sea, having an abundance of fresh water, refreshing breezes, and an easily defended natural harbour, with coral reefs to protect and shelter the ships.
To travel back in time is a dream normally only made possible by cinema and literature; a magic door, a wardrobe, or a laboratory built time machine serve as the means to visit the past. But none of these are needed when you visit the upper town of Olinda, in Pernambuco, a Unesco World Heritage Site. The town nestles snugly between seven hills, sheltering its 17th and 18th century clustered houses and churches. The number of streets is few, but sufficient to take the visitor on a journey back in time.
In starting to understand and appreciate present day Olinda, there is no better way than to recall the words of contemporary Pernambucan painter Joao Camera; “In addition to being an emblematic and historical site, Olinda is very much alive, lived in and constantly changing. To know it well, it is a city that may be seen from within, looking out, or outside looking in. There are those who walk in all directions!”
In addition to history and architecture, Olinda is famous for its art studios situated in the Rua do Amparo, showing paintings, ceramics and creations of enormous carnival parade figures. In the same street, you will find the Bodego de Veio, which is both local store and Bar, where every evening, dozens of people gather, seated on the pavement, using car bonnets as tables, to listen to local “chorinos” (laments), samba songs and wild carnival music. Nearby, is the Igreja de Sao Bento, with its magnificent alter of Baroque decoration which in 2001, enchanted millions of Americans when it was put on view in a special room at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Other Olinda treasures include the Sao Francisco Church with its Portuguese blue tiled interior, and the Museu Regional.