Brazil

A premeditated choice, that of Brazil; we wanted to escape the Modena fog and immerse ourselves in an exotic paradise. A few days for a little taste of what this land represents, and many good reasons to return. The seasons in Brazil are reversed compared to our climatic year, so the tourist season on the Brazilian coasts begins during our winter. Hot hot hot!!!! We got off the plane and 35° degrees on average with a good dose of humidity assailed us; the Cambodian mugginess of the Po Valley is not our exclusive, so.... but a dip in the sea is always an excellent antidote to the heat! They told us that Porto Seguro was the Brazilian Riccione during the 80s-90s, after which it suffered a big drop in international tourism, honestly I don't know why, the fact is that here tourism fortunately doesn't speak Italian yet despite the weekly direct charter from Milan.

It's a nice little town, certainly not the size of a Fortaleza, so the town's main reference is the Passarela do Alcool, a kind of 5th Avenue, a little street lined with colourful houses that comes alive especially in the evening, on which several little restaurants and churrascherias gather and where people can buy trinkets and various souvenirs at the stalls.

The park of Arraial d'Ajuda and Trancoso, beautiful! The most beautiful areas from a naturalistic point of view! **** A heartfelt tip, if someone decided to visit this area, I suggest staying in a pousada immersed in the vegetation of the park! Guaranteed success! **** The area is separated from Porto Seguro by a river, but ferries make it comfortably reachable; while Porto Seguro is a little lacking in vegetation, Arraial d'Ajuda is an explosion of trees, hibiscus flowers and palms, plus the sandy beaches are surrounded by red rocks dotted with green. Trancoso is a little further south, and to get there the bus travels through the hilly inland area along dusty little roads where the fazendas stand. A paradise! Long beaches of fine but compact sand where the locals practise dancing Capoeira, play football or sunbathe.

The atmosphere is a bit hippy-chic, a bit backpacker but with a touch of refinement. Another nice excursion to do is without doubt the visit to Salvador do Bahia, reachable by direct flight or by omnibus 10 hours at night, doable. We skipped this trip out of town much to our regret, because unfortunately at 26 we still haven't learned to tan properly, so due to a deep sunburn we invested the remaining time in giving ourselves miraculous compresses! In short... even this little handkerchief of land and sea enclosed in the great state of Brazil deserves to be seen and lived!

OBREGADA