As a city,
Vitoria is
vaguely reminiscent of Rio with its
combination of sea, steep hills,
granite outcrops and irregularly
shaped mountains on the horizon.
Founded in 1551, it's one of the
oldest cities in Brazil, but few
traces of its past remain and
nowadays most of the centre is urban
sprawl. Vitoria is not a tourist
town, and few people visit it unless
they have a very definite reason.
The heart of Vitoria is an island
connected to the mainland by a
series of bridges, but the city has
long since broken its natural
bounds, spreading onto the mainland
north and south: the major beach
areas are on these mainland zones,
Camburi
to the north and
Vila Velha
with its beach
Praia da Costa
to the south. Vitoria is renowned
as the world capital of marlin
fishing. It also has the unfortunate
distinction of having the highest
murder rate in Brazil and, although
violence is unlikely to affect the
casual visitor, appropriate care
should be taken.
The City
The city is built into a steep
hillside overlooking the docks, but
the main streets are all at shore
level. The name of the street that
hugs the shore changes as you go
eastwards from the Rodoviária,
initially called Avenida Elias
Miguel, then Avenida...
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