Two Cities, One Day — Salvador High and Low

We depart from Farol da Barra, where the view over Baía de Todos os Santos helps you understand the geography that shaped the founding of the city, and continue to Praça do Campo Grande, where the Monument to Dois de Julho keeps the memory of Bahian independence. We arrived at the Historic Center through Praça do Terreiro de Jesus, flanked by institutions that shaped colonial Brazil — including Catedral Basílica, headquarters of the country's first archdiocese, and Igreja de São Pedro dos Clérigos, an optional stop if you want to delve deeper into Bahian religious architecture. We walked along the streets that are home to Casa do Olodum, the birthplace of one of the most influential Afro groups in the world, where the sound of drums often still echoes through the neighborhood, to Largo do Pelourinho, where Igreja do Rosário dos Pretos holds one of the city's most notable stories: built over almost a century by the hands of a brotherhood of black men and women, enslaved and free, who donated their downtime to the work. It is also in this square that Michael Jackson recorded his most remembered music video in Brazil — we only mention it in passing, since the true strength of Pelourinho lies in stories like Rosário dos Pretos. We return through the streets that house the building of the first medical school in Brazil, towards Elevador Lacerda, where Cidade Alta gives way to Cidade Baixa in just a few seconds of crossing, with the view opening up before you. We take some time at Mercado Modelo — where the colors of craftsmanship and the smell of leather and spices fill the hallways — so you can choose a real souvenir, and we continue on to Igreja do Senhor do Bonfim, where we end the day in front of one of Bahia's greatest symbols of faith.