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Vila Velha is the oldest city of Espírito Santo in southeastern Brazil, a seaside city facing Vitória across its bay and famous for the hilltop Convento da Penha, long urban beaches and Garoto chocolate. It was founded on 23 May 1535 by the Portuguese captain Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, who landed at the Prainha and made it the first seat of the captaincy.
That colonial beginning survives around the Prainha, where the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário grew from the first chapel of the captaincy and the old Piratininga fort guards the bay. Above them the Convento da Penha, begun in 1558, crowns a granite hill with views over Vitória and the sweeping Terceira Ponte bridge.
Today Vila Velha is a lively coastal city. The Santa Luzia lighthouse and the trail up Morro do Moreno mark the start of Praia da Costa and Itapuã, busy beaches lined with promenades and apartment towers. Further south the fishing village of Barra do Jucu keeps its congo music and surf breaks beside the mangroves of Jacarenema, and the Garoto factory store is a sweet stop for chocolate lovers.
The Convento da Penha is a Marian sanctuary on a steep granite hill above Vila Velha, begun in 1558 by the Spanish friar Pedro Palácios and one of the oldest churches in Brazil. Listed in 1943, it offers sweeping views of Vitória bay, and the Festa da Penha after Easter draws huge crowds.
The Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário stands in the historic Prainha of Vila Velha and grew from the first chapel of the captaincy, built by Vasco Fernandes Coutinho in 1535. Its present form dates from around 1551, making it the oldest church in Espírito Santo and among the oldest in Brazil.
The Forte de São Francisco Xavier de Piratininga sits at the foot of the Penha hill in Vila Velha, on the Inhoá cove at the southern entrance to Vitória bay. Work on it began under Francisco Gil de Araújo in the late 17th century, and the walls still look out over the water today.
The Museu Homero Massena is the former home of the painter Homero Massena and his wife Edy in the Prainha of Vila Velha, where they lived until his death in 1974. Listed in 1980, the house shows the artist's studio, paintings and everyday objects just as he left them.
The Farol de Santa Luzia is a 14-metre octagonal iron lighthouse at the entrance to Vitória bay in Vila Velha's Praia da Costa district. Its cast-iron parts were made in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1870 and it was first lit in 1871, at the foot of Morro do Moreno above the rocky shore.
Morro do Moreno is a 184-metre hill beside the centre of Vila Velha, declared a natural monument of the city in 2021. A trail climbs through coastal forest to the top, where views take in the Convento da Penha, the Terceira Ponte, Vitória and the long curve of Praia da Costa.
The Terceira Ponte is the 3.3-kilometre bridge linking Vila Velha with Vitória across the bay, officially named Ponte Deputado Darcy Castello de Mendonça. Its main span rises about 70 metres above the water to let large ships pass, and it is a postcard view from the Convento da Penha.
Chocolates Garoto is one of Brazil's best-known chocolate makers, founded in Vila Velha in 1929 by the German immigrant Heinrich Meyerfreund and now part of Nestlé. Its large factory still stands in the Glória district, and the factory store beside it is a favourite stop for visitors.
Praia da Costa is the best-known beach of Vila Velha, a long curve of sand between Morro do Moreno and Itapuã lined with apartment towers. Its calm water suits swimming, and a seafront promenade with cycle paths, kiosks and sports areas stays busy from early morning until night.
Praia de Itapuã continues south from Praia da Costa along the Vila Velha shore. The wide beach is backed by a seafront promenade with kiosks and outdoor gyms, and small rocky islets lie just offshore, making it a popular spot for families, walkers and sunset watching.
Barra do Jucu is a former fishing village at the mouth of the Jucu River in the south of Vila Velha. It keeps alive the congo music and religious festivals of Espírito Santo, its waves draw surfers, and the small Morro da Concha is a favourite viewpoint for watching the sunset.
The Parque Natural Municipal de Jacarenema protects the estuary of the Jucu River in Vila Velha, with mangroves, coastal restinga and patches of Atlantic Forest. Its Tupi name refers to a smelly caiman, and trails and bridges let visitors explore the river mouth near Barra do Jucu.
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