Mild climate
An oasis in the dry lands.
Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Ralf1963 — Public domain · Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Andrew Comings from Same, USA — CC BY 2.0
Triunfo is a small mountain town on top of the Serra da Baixa Verde in Pernambuco, close to the border with Paraíba and some 405 kilometres from Recife. At more than a thousand metres above sea level it is the highest town in the state, and its mild, rainy climate sets it apart from the semi-arid lands around it, earning it the nickname «Oasis of the Sertão». The town broke away from neighbouring Flores in 1870 and became a city in 1884. Its name, «Triumph», recalls how residents held out when rivals from Flores repeatedly tried to wreck their weekly market. Visitors come for the climate, the historic architecture, the food and the festivals, among them the carnival of the «Caretas», masked figures in colourful clothes carrying boards hung with rattles and whips, a tradition dating from 1917 in which hundreds take part. In the town centre a small lake is ringed by a tree-lined promenade and dotted with pedal boats, overlooked by the historic cinema. A bid to list the historic centre as protected heritage has been under way for years.
An oasis in the dry lands.
Carnival masks.
Promenade and pedal boats.
Serra da Baixa Verde, Pernambuco, near the Paraíba border
Its altitude gives it a mild, rainy climate amid semi-arid land.
