Ipanema may be for Rio de Janeiro what Tribeca or Soho represents for Manhattan, guarded, obvious geographic and cultural differences. Even within Brazil, the neighborhood famed by the lovely song "The Girl from Ipanema", is a synonym for new trends, fashion, and eclecticism. To a certain extent, Ipanema-District may be microcosm of the colorful Rio character itself. Although the district is a relatively small district, being the strip of land between the Ipanema-Beach and the Rodrigo De Freitas Lagoon, the neighborhood and world famous beach also show diverse identities. The district is home to several tribes that live in a harmony: the tourists, the surf crowd, the rich and famous, the new hippies, the jocks, the gay friendly, and the typical local resident. Anthropological analysis apart, the Ipanema-neighborhood hosts some of the most exotic and sophisticated restaurants in Rio de Janeiro.

Within a few blocks, one can try the Latin taste of the trendy Pecado, which literally means Sin, in the heart of the distict or decide for a softer tone at the seafood specialist Satyricon. Ipanema-District has more than fifty fine restaurants, bars, "botecos", coffee shops, juice bars and ice cream parlors. We reproduced below a few restaurant reviews so that the international tourists will have an idea of what to expect. Please read below some of the options we prepared for you:



Doce Delícia

Make your own dish by choosing from 5 to 15 of the 42 combinations of vegetables, side dishes, hot dishes, and fruit at Doce Delícia. Quiche, salmon, grilled tenderloin, chicken, and cold pasta are some of the choices. Dressings range from the light and yogurt based to innovative creations combining mustard and lemon. There are plenty of vegetarian options. The slick decor and fresh ingredients make this a popular choice for a regular clientele in the trendy area neighborhood. For a reasonable price you can also pick main dishes from the menu -- for example, the chicken breast with honey and rosemary sauce for R$17. Another hit at Doce Delícia is its rich pre-beach breakfast.



Above, a picture of the tredy Pecado restaurant.

Esplanada Grill

The Scene

On a well-manicured shopping street in central area, four short blocks from the beach, this impeccable Brazilian steakhouse is a magnet for celebrity diners and highbrow carnivores. Known for its distinguished patrons and prized kitchen, the dining room features wall-to-wall photographs of semi-famous patrons and the bewildered Hollywood celebrity inundated by flashbulbs. The dark-paneled main room features tightly arranged wood tables with leather-cushioned club chairs surrounded by picture windows overlooking the surrounding neighborhood. Esplanada Grill is surprisingly formal given the more casual nature of Rio. Patrons should expect a dress code of long pants and sleeved shirts in the evening, with slightly more liberal requirements for afternoon lunch.


The Food:

A prompt waiter welcomes diners with a two-handed selection of complimentary appetizers including warm breads, artisan cheeses and traditional yucca flour. The menu at Esplanada Grill features Brazilian steakhouse specialties and hearty appetizers perfect for sharing. Meals begin with market fresh salads as well as small-plate seafood specialties like grilled octopus and calamari or jumbo shrimp cocktail. If you're a vegetarian you're probably in the wrong place, as main courses are a meaty symphony of kilo-sized fillets, porterhouses and double T-bones. Meats are presented on a signature iron grill, seared to perfection and normally on the rare side of medium. Esplanada Grill ´s desserts are a more predictable presentation of house cakes, ice creams and baked goods.


Gero-Ipanema

Rogerio Fasano, one of Sao Paulo's gastronomic legends, opened this Italian eatery—his first restaurant in Rio. Socialites, artists and political bigwigs flock to Gero, to savor such specialties as partridge and radicchio risotto or white polenta with squid. Daily for lunch and dinner. Vegetarian options are plentiful. Typical Italian desserts served include gelato and profiteroles. Gero is located at the more expensive end in this part of town but justified entirely

Below we see a shot of Gero, close to the Beach.



Guimas

Guimas is restaurant where real Cariocas hang out. Guimas opened their original restaurant at the Gávea district, which became a reference for Rio gourmet fans in terms of quality and style. Later, the owners opened another unit at the district, maintaining the Rio´s lassie-faire culture. Guimas´s most successful dishes are the trout with leeks and the honey-roast duck with pear rice. Both move smoothly with the superfine caipivodcas (caipirinhas made with vodka instead of cachaça). The small but cozy open-air restaurant attracts a more colorful mix of diners as the night progresses.

Gula-Gula

For a lighter and healthier meal or snack, stop in at Gula-Gula. The menu includes delicious fresh salads such as the caprese -- a layered tower of sliced tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella – “the salada da casa” with mixed greens, pumpkin, goat cheese, and crisp bits of Parma ham, or the more Brazilian palm-heart salad with turkey and pineapple. Gula-Gula also serves a variety of grilled meats, chicken, and fish. Each selection of meat comes with a choice of sauce and two side dishes (vegetables, potatoes, or salad). Other lunch or light dinner options include pasta, quiches, and sandwiches. For dessert, you can try some of the low-cal options, but to live up to the name (gula means gluttony in Portuguese) it behooves you to try a “banana crème brûlée” or fruit strudel. Please note that Gula-Gula is a chain and there are several restaurants spread out over Rio de Janeiro. By Frommer´s Review.




Madame Butterfly

Considered one of the most sophisticated and expensive Japanese restaurant in Rio, Madame Butterfly is a must for Japanese food lovers, and was elected best in its category by gourmet specialists, rivaling with Sushi Leblon. Located at the heart of Ipanema-District, the food in Madame Butterfly is superb, and the highlights are the fish with shimeji mushrooms in ginger and sake sauce, the many different types of sushi and rolls with unusual shapes. Main dishes include grilled salmon with honey and miso, and the best sukiyaki in Rio. The restaurant occupies two floors, with a dining room located in the first floor and reserved booths upstairs. Valet parking is provided.



Above, the modern facace of the seafood master restaurant in Satyricon.


Satyricon

Famous for being international celebrities’ choice like Madonna and Sting, Satyricon is considered one of the top sea-food restaurants in Rio, if not number 1. The pargo (fish baked in a thick layer of rock salt) is the house specialty, and the sushi and sashimi are also well loved. Satyricon´s menu features were recently expanded offering several fish capriccios. When the season is right, try the fresh lobster with tagliatell. The service in Satyricon is usually excellent and it has a nice ambience. Although the restaurant has a reputation for being expensive, try to waive off the couvert and don't order drinks or desert and you'll get out of there for a reasonable price. Valet parking is provided.

We hope our readers we able to have a taste of the districts spice and charm. The neighborhood has the true essence of Rio, and unquestionably, several flavors to choose from. So next time visiting Rio, relax and cool down in some of Rio ´s fanciest restaurants.

The Objective of this post is to describe the first Flags of Brazil, during its colonial days:

Order of Christ

Would you be kind enough to translate the following statement? "...1320, da Ordem de Cristo 1ª hasteada em solo brasileiro." The 1320 here apparently refers to a year, as all the other flags have dates of use listed. If that is so, how could this flag have been in Brazil at that time when, if I recall correctly, Portugal first arrived in Brazil in 1500? If I understand correctly, and please comment if you have other thoughts, the web site is trying to state that the "Order of Christ" flag [which was adopted in the year of 1320] was the first flag of Portugal raised over Brazil in the 1500s. That being the case, I could understand that the Order of Christ banner that was 180 years old at the time Brazil was colonized became the first flag in Brazil. Secondly, the flag shown is a red Order of Christ and to my memory all (or most) first flags of Brazil have been golden Order of Christ. Just by reference to later flags of Brazil, the Order of Christ is red, and I believe red is correct. However, there seem to be many golden flags shown in books.



The inscription indeed means "1320, of the Order of Christ. [adding a period, without which this makes no sense] First to be hoisted on Brazilian soil." I think there is some confusion here: Portugal only arrived in Brazil in 1500, but the Order of Christ was founded in 1320 (or something like that). So 1320 doesn't refer to the first time the flag was hoisted in Brazil, but when it was adopted.

The Order of Christ was the main financer and "pusher" of the Portuguese discoveries, the man behind them, Infante Dom Henrique [Prince Henry the Navigator] being a member of the order. Most if not all the ships that sailed to find new lands had members of the order in the crew and sailed under the flag of the order. In fact, the various banners of the order that are mentioned by António Martins were, at the time, nearly the equivalent of what would today be called naval flags or ensigns of Portugal. Therefore, as the British did with their ensigns, it was the banner of the order that was hoisted in the territories claimed for the Portuguese crown. This happened not only in Brazil, but also in the other territories in Africa and Asia. The usual thing, as far as I know, was for the captain of the ship to claim the territory for the King of Portugal and for Christianity--Christianity, naturally, being represented by the Order of Christ. The monuments the Portuguese left in the lands where they landed (called padrões) are a good example of this: they were topped by a cube containing four Portuguese escutcheons with the bezants (quinas) and atop the cube a cross of the Order of Christ.

As far as I know, there is no proper color to the Cross of Christ, but it is usually represented in red.

The Iberian Union, 1580-1640

Between the years 1580 and 1640 was the time know historically as "The Iberian Union". Brazil, was, of course, a Portuguese colony, but in 1580, the Portuguese King Sebastian I died (in a battle in Alcazar-Quebir, Morocco) without leaving children and his closest relative was his cousin Phillip II, the King of Spain, who become king of both Iberian Kingdoms. The Iberian Union lasted until 1640 when the Portuguese finally won a 18 year-long rebellion against Madrid and regained their independence.


From 1624 to 1661, part of northwest Brazil was Dutch Brazil. With the Spanish occupation of Portugal, the Netherlands, traditional commercial partner of Portugal but enemy of Spain, and with interests in Brazilian sugar cane, occupied the provinces of Pernambuco, Paraíba, Ceará, Alagoas, and, in the year 1641, Maranhão. The government of Dutch Brazil was administed by the Dutch West India Company (GWC). The flag used as the local flag of this period was the flag of the company (with the monogram). Today we can seen some Dutch descendants in the Northwest, which is in general a mixed Dutch and Indian people. The presence is noticeable in Paraíba and Ceará.

I am quite curious where you found this image; it differs quite a lot from the flag normally attributed to the Dutch West India Company.
Jarig Bakker, 14 June 2003

The Flag of the GWC was used during the Dutch occupation as the flag of Dutch Brazil and is shown in Clóvis Ribeiro's Bandeiras e Brasões as well as in various Brazilian history books as the "Dutch Brazilian flag."
André Pires Godinho, 15 June 2003

In Vexilla Nostra of March 1973, Karl Fachinger writes that the monogram might stand for CDIM (Companhia das Indias Meridionais), the Portuguese name for the Dutch VOC (East India Company), although he clearly states it isn't more then just a guess. In Vexilla Nostra of October 1973 an anonymous article contends that the monogram could show IMNCVD for Iohan Maurits van Nassau Catzelnbogen Vianden en Dietz. Johan Maurits van Nassau was governor-general of Dutch Brazil (also known as Nieuw Holland) and nicknamed "the Brazilian." Personally I find both guesses not very convincing.



Most histories that I have read give the dates of Dutch control as 1630-1654. See for example this very comprehensive account. (I think the flag image shown on that page is intended only as a generic West India Company flag and not as necessarily depicting what was flown in Brazil.)
Ned Smith, 14 June 2003

1624 is the year Salvador was taken by the Dutch, but the occupation lasted only one year. In 1630 the Dutch came back and conquered the coastal area of Pernambuco. The colony now lasted langer, until 1654 when Recife was taken by the Portuguese without a shot. In 1661 the Dutch rights were sold to Portugal for 8 million guilders.

Principality of Brazil


While Dom João IV was the King of Portugal, his son Teodósio [but see below--ed.], the heir to the throne, received the title of Prince of Brazil. So after 1645, every heir to the Portuguese throne was called "Prince of Brazil" (like the Prince of Wales in the United Kingdom). Thus Brazil became a principality and had its own flag. This flag can be interpreted as a personal ensign of the prince, but nevertheless it is a flag to represent the Brazilian Principality.


It seems to me that this is really a Portuguese flag, not a Brazilian one. F. Pereira Lessa points out in Bandeiras Históricas do Brasil (Rio de Janeiro: Gráfica Guarany, 1940) on page 45 that this was essentially a personal flag of the heir apparent to the Portuguese throne, not a flag to represent Brazil itself--just as the flag of the Spanish Prince of the Asturias is not the Asturian flag and the standard of the Prince of Wales is not the Welsh flag. In addition, as I understand it, designating Brazil a principality did not change the way it was governed, and it would seem this flag probably never flew there.




The Principality of Brazil was created for Teodósio (1634-53), Duke of Barcellos and Bragança and Prince of Portugal, elder son of Joao IV, but he died before his father. So, the Portuguese crown went to his second living brother Affonso, Affonso VI of Portugal.

Cont. This is Part II of the History of Rio-de-Janeiro Post.

Rio-de-Janeiro history was marked by great progression after the finding of gold in Minas Gerais 1693. The gold route went through the port of Rio-de- Janeiro and made Portugal one of the richest countries in Europe.

The goldstream made Rio even more attractive to the rivalling countries france and the dutch, and the city is attacked and defeated by the French admiral Duguay – Trouin with approximately 6000 men in 1711. To redeem it Portugal pays a huge ransome.

By 1763 the population of Rio de Janeiro exceeds 50,000 and is declared the capitol of Brazil.

Napoleon of France also has an important part in the development of Brazil. As he took on war in Europe, the seat of all Portuguese regency court fled to Brazil in 1808. 15,000 of the aristocracy, led by the regent Dom Joao VI, moved to Rio-de-Janeiro and resulted in a massive expansion of Rio´s streets, schools, banks, newspapers and so on.

Dom Joao made an important decision which made the economy boom; he opened the harbours to free trade with everyone, which had earlier been restricted to Portugal. The beginning of independence for Brazil.



Above, a picture of 19th century famous painter Jean Baptiste Debret of the court in Rio.

In 1821 Dom Joao returns to Portugal to fight an uprising revolution, but leaves his son Dom Pedro behind to govern the colony. Rio ´s population has grown rapidly and now exceeds over 100,000 residents.

Influenced by brazilian nationalists, Dom Pedro declares independence one year later, in 1822. Dom Joao, unable to fight his own son, accepts Brazil independence and Dom Pedro is named Emperor Pedro I.

By 1826 Dom Pedro’s father dies in Lisbon making Dom Pedro the natural overtaker of Portugal. Dom Pedro abdicates as emperor and his son aged 15, assumes the throne; Emperor Betrau II

Rio-de-Janeiro continues to grow. In 1854 streets of Rio are lit by gas lamps and in 1874 the city is connected to London with a telegraph cable. Slavery which has influenced so many of Brazilian culture and tradition like Brazil’s national dish, feijoada and the ever so famous carnival with rhythms, feathers and dance is abolished in 1888.

In 1889 rich landowners take over control of the political power in Brazil by demanding a republic. The emperor abdicates to prevent a revolution and a bloodbath. The landowners divide the revenues between themselves. The differences between poor and rich increase. Presidents of Brazil are controlled by the landlords, and new presidents come and go.

Below, a vision of slavery in Rio by the 19th century famous painter Jean Baptiste Debret.



Passing into the 1900 century, tunnels are built to connect the south zone of Rio with the centre of the city. The world opens it’s eyes for Brazil and Rio de Janeiro in 1920, with the opening of the great Copacabana Palace. Brazil and Rio is considered exotic and several films brings samba to Europe and the states.

What is the history of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil? It seems like there is a fascination upon this subject, so we will be posting a series of articles related to the history of Rio de Janeiro, history of the coffee planatations, Portuguese Crown and Rio ´s importance in the world´s scenario.

The Rio de Janeiro history starts with the Portuguese claims on Brazil with the discovery of Porto Seguro by Pedro Alvares Cabral in 1500. Two years later on New Years day,1502, the inlet of Guanabara bay marked by the characteristic Sugarloaf is mistakenly assumed a river and called “Rio de Janeiro” which means “the January River” in English. Exactly who in Rio de Janeiro history is responsible for the discovery is unclear, but it is assumed that it’s either Andre Goncalves or the Florentine Amerigo Vespucci.

Below, a picture of Rio, 19th century by famous painter Jean Baptiste Debret.



In 1533, Brazil history continues by being divided into 12 capitanias (“Captaincies”). The Rio de Janeiro area of Guanabara bay is appointed to the Espirito Santo capitana. Rio de Janeiro history shows the area populated by the local Tamoio tribe which is curious about the new strangers from abroad. An expression which still remains in Rio even today has it’s origin from the natives; “Cari-oca”, which meant “house of the whites”. Today a Carioca represent a Rio inhabitant who is born and raised in Rio de Janeiro with parents from Rio.

At first the Portuguese took little interest in the southern areas of Porto Seguro and focused on extracting sugar in the north. The area of Rio de Janeiro was left for the French and renamed “La France Antartique” in 1555 by Nicholas de Villegagnon, a French knight of St.John.

The Rio de Janeiro history shows the first serious settlement called Sao Sebastiao founded in 1565 by Estacio de Sa, after the French are defeated and thrown out by governor-general mem de Sa. The early settlement developed slowly, located at the foot of today’s famous sugarloaf mountains for better defence possibilities.

Below, one of the first Flags of the Brazilian Colony.



1580 – 1640 in Rio de Janeiro history is marked by slow progression and continued attacks by the French and the Dutch across all of Brasil. After 1640, begins a time of missionary both to the north and south of Rio.

The year of 1693 is an important year for Brazil history; gold is found in Minas Gerais, just north of Rio de Janeiro and the time of the gold rush started!

Roads where built from Rio and out to the gold mines, and Rio de Janeiro became the primary shipping harbour of gold to Portugal. All kinds of fortune hunters immigrated to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro grew to become an economic sentre of the huge country Brazil.

Continued at Part II of "What is the history of Rio de Janeiro Brazil" post.

APOLOGIZE TO THE PURIST among Brazilian history scholars and to manuscript collectors, but Pero Vaz de Caminha's letter in 1500 was the first advertising poster to depict our homeland. Don Manuel, king of Portugal at the time, never published the letter perhaps to ward off the greed of other nations...

Luckily the twentieth century international travel businesmen did not share his views and called on a number of designers to produce some unforgettable, brightly-colorede, striking images. In a straight-forward language or in dreamlike settings of breathless wonder, they conveyed the idea that coming to Rio-de-Janeiro was like living out a fairy tale...

Though they cannot be considered a contemporary novelty (the first newspapers published in France back in 1631 already displayed advertisement), billboards did not develop fully until the late nineteenth century. Employing lithography and off-set techniques, they were so sophisticated that often six or seven colors were used.

"Ridding the streets of the gray and dark monotony of buildings aligned as if by a ruler: splashing them with colorful fireworks, spreading joy; turning walls into adornable surfaces, and extracting from this outdoor museum the true nature of a people while at the same time educating the taste of the collective unconscious." This was Roger Marx"s introduction to the exhibit of one of the earliest geniuses of billboard art, Jules Chéret, in 1889.




Both during the art nouveau (1880-1914) and art déco (1920-1950) eras bustled with finely crafted samples of this art, and the posters of those days are the most sought-after by museums and collectors alike. Testimonials of a country"s artistic and economic history, they went from just mere advertising media to become aesthetic and profitable printed treasures. The nostalgia they evoke, aside from their decorative appeal, stimulates the booming collectionism we see today. In nearly thirty years of pursuit, with Paris as a starting pont (where more museums, art dealers and experts devoted to the subject are found than anywhere else in the world), I have just recently managed to gather ten samples...

Vistas are never the same in any two posters about Rio-de-Janeiro. There is a clear concern with capturing the nuances of sunlight at a unique point in time. Often a wild sunrise lights up the entire poster. Dreamlike images. These are pre-globalization moments, though.The written language is not always the same spoken by the cruise ship or airline owners. There are several several examples of this. KLM (Dutch) using French; PanAM (American) writing in German anout the wonder city...





It is intriguing to find that the name of the city (Rio-de-Janeiro) is absent in most of the surviving posters. As if everybody knew that those beaches, those mountains, that bay are Rio-de-Janeiro . We simply read South America. Designers apparently assumed that the vistas were so well known that it would be enough to mention the continent. The loveliest city in the world, as foreign magazines and newspapers described it, became an icon for the whole continent.

One of the most remarkable affiches, the 1946 "Air France" poster designed by Victor Vasarely - the founding father of Op-Art - shows a far-off and vague landscape. All that stands out are silhouetes of Sugar Loaf and Corcovado. A huge rising sun reflecting on the Atlantic Ocean waters, where waves and shadows interwine top duplicate the black-and-white design of the famous Copacabana sidewalks takes up most of the poster area. This "road toward the sun",hopes of a new beginning, is the message conveyed by many of the best known posters made to draw both tourists and immigrants weary of the wars of the Old World.




Going back to Pero Vaz de Caminha"s letter to His Majesty; we are surprised by the statement that the art of prints, of drawings, of engravings, of posters - in short, anything on paper cannot survive because the medium will not last. These advertising posters, some nearly a century old, prove otherwise. After all, what medium was used to write the very first inventory of the Brazilian wealth five hundred years ago?

Rio-de-Janeiro is definately the Famous Places in Brazil to visit ! Don´t miss this chance!

Rio Vintage Posters