On a Saturday morning the Feira de Caruaru spills out of its stalls and into the surrounding streets, and you can walk past lace, leather, clay figures and bundles of medicinal herbs in the space of a few minutes. This is a market town in the Agreste of Pernambuco, and the market is the reason it grew.
Caruaru suits travellers who are interested in popular art, handicrafts and northeastern Brazilian music, and who are willing to move between the centre and the Alto do Moura neighbourhood to see where the clay work is made. It is also a natural stop for anyone travelling between Recife and the interior.
This guide covers the sights and experiences named in the source material, with practical notes on when to go and what to combine with what.
Top things to do in Caruaru
1. Feira de Caruaru
Brazil's largest street market, and an intangible cultural heritage of Brazil. You will find handicrafts, lace and embroidery, leather products, traditional medicinal products and typical food, along with almost anything else you might want.
Give it a full morning rather than an hour. The market is the centre of the city's identity, so it makes sense to see it before the smaller museums that document it.
2. Alto do Moura
A neighbourhood recognised by UNESCO as the largest centre for figurative arts in the Americas. It is home to the ceramist Mestre Vitalino and to other artists, and you can watch the work being made rather than only finished pieces.
Combine Alto do Moura with the Casa-Museu Mestre Vitalino and the Memorial Mestre Galdino, which are both in the same neighbourhood.
3. Casa-Museu Mestre Vitalino
The house of Mestre Vitalino, at Rua Mestre Vitalino in Alto do Moura. It is the most direct way to connect the clay figures you see for sale with the person who made the craft internationally known.
It opens Monday through Saturday, 08:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, and Sunday, 08:00-12:00. Note the midday closure when planning your visit.
4. Memorial Mestre Galdino
A memorial at Rua São Sebastião, 181, in Alto do Moura, dedicated to another of the neighbourhood's artists. It is a short addition to an Alto do Moura visit rather than a separate trip.
It opens Tuesday through Saturday, 08:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, and Sunday, 08:00-13:00.
5. Museu do Barro e da Cerâmica
The Clay and Ceramics Museum, at Espaço Cultural Tancredo Neves, bloco B, Praça Cel. José de Vasconcellos, 100, in the Centro. It gives context to the ceramics you see in Alto do Moura and at the market.
It opens Tuesday to Saturday, 08:00-17:00, and Sunday, 08:00-13:00. The telephone number listed is (81) 3701.1533.
6. Memorial de Caruaru
A cultural centre with three components: the City Museum (Museu Celso Galvão or Museu da Cidade), the Memorial da Feira de Caruaru and an exhibit on popular folk art. The Feira de Caruaru section is the natural companion to a visit to the market itself.
It opens Tuesday through Saturday, 08:00-17:00, at Rua Duque de Caxias, 1000, in the Centro. The telephone number listed is (81) 3721.1039.
7. Museu do Forró Luiz Gonzaga
A museum devoted to forró, the music most associated with Caruaru and with the June festivals. Worth an hour if you want to understand what you are hearing in the streets.
Pair it with Pátio do Forró, where the dancing and live music actually happen.
8. Pátio do Forró
The main gathering point in the city, and the principal attraction during the São João and São Pedro festivals. There is a great deal of forró dancing, with live music on three stages.
If you are visiting outside the festival period, treat it as a landmark to pass through rather than a scheduled stop.
9. Museu do Cordel
A museum dedicated to cordel literature, the pamphlet literature that was typical in Europe in the Middle Ages and that survives in northeastern Brazil, one of the few places in the world where it is still alive.
It is a small, focused collection, so allow less time here than for the ceramics museums.
10. Feira do Troca-Troca
An exchange market where unusual trades take place, such as a chicken for a watch or a parakeet for a bicycle. It is a different experience from the main market and a good reason to time your visit to a Wednesday or a Saturday.
It takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so check the day before you build it into your plans.
11. Museu da Fábrica de Caroá
A museum installed in what used to be Fábrica Caroá, which operated from 1935 to 1978 and was Brazil's first factory to produce fibre products from the caroá plant. It is for travellers interested in the region's industrial past.
It is a more specialised stop than the art museums, so save it for a second day rather than a single-day visit.
12. The June Festivals
The June festivals, primarily St. John's, are the period when Caruaru is at its most active. The dates named in the source material are St. Gonçalvo on the first Saturday in June, St. Anthony on June 13, St. John's celebrations (São João) on June 24, Sts. Peter and Paul on June 29, and St. Martial on June 30.
If you are travelling for the festivals, plan around the June 24 date in particular, and expect Pátio do Forró to be the centre of activity.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the Feira de Caruaru, which is at its best with a full morning in front of you. If your visit falls on a Wednesday or a Saturday, add the Feira do Troca-Troca.
Afternoon: Move on to the Memorial de Caruaru on Rua Duque de Caxias, where the Memorial da Feira de Caruaru and the popular folk art exhibit continue what you saw at the market. If time allows, add the Museu do Barro e da Cerâmica at the Espaço Cultural Tancredo Neves.
Evening: Head to Pátio do Forró, the main gathering point, and to the Museu do Forró Luiz Gonzaga if you want the music's background before you hear it live.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to visit Caruaru?
If you want the city at its most active, come for the June festivals, particularly around São João on June 24. Outside that period, plan around the market days, since the Feira do Troca-Troca only takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
How do I get between the centre and Alto do Moura?
The source material places the Casa-Museu Mestre Vitalino on Rua Mestre Vitalino and the Memorial Mestre Galdino on Rua São Sebastião, 181, both in Alto do Moura, while the Museu do Barro e da Cerâmica and the Memorial de Caruaru are in the Centro. Plan the two areas as separate halves of a day rather than trying to move between them repeatedly.
Which museums close at midday?
The Casa-Museu Mestre Vitalino and the Memorial Mestre Galdino both close for lunch, from 12:00 to 14:00, on the days they open. The Museu do Barro e da Cerâmica and the Memorial de Caruaru stay open through the day until 17:00.
What can I buy at the market?
The Feira de Caruaru covers handicrafts, lace and embroidery, leather products, traditional medicinal products and typical food, along with almost anything else you might want.
Decide whether you are travelling for the June festivals or for the market days, and the rest of your itinerary in Caruaru will follow from that.