Fonte da Bica
Spring of youth.
Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paul R. Burley — CC BY-SA 4.0
At the northern tip of Itaparica Island in the Bay of All Saints lies the town that shares the island's name, settled from the earliest days of Portuguese colonisation. Indigenous communities were driven out and sugar mills built, and its strategic position left it ringed by forts. It broke away from Salvador in 1833 and became a city in 1890. The national heritage service protected its architectural ensemble in 1980, including the church of Santíssimo Sacramento, the church and fort of São Lourenço, the small chapel of Bom Despacho, two old townhouses and the famous Fonte da Bica spring. The Fonte da Bica's water is said to bring youth, and visitors come to drink from it before wandering the quiet lanes and the square facing the sea. Ferries from Salvador land south of the town, with the last stretch by car or minibus.
Spring of youth.
Bay defences.
Quiet lanes.
Itaparica town, northern tip of Itaparica Island, Bahia
The historic town sits at the northern tip of the island of the same name.
