When you and your family travel through Iberostate, you shouldn't miss the opportunity to visit the Garcia D'Ávila castle. Considered to be the first military building constructed in Brazil by the Portuguese and one of the main tourist attractions in Praia do Forte, the Garcia D'Ávila castle is one of the most important National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) sites in the country.
The castle ruins have been turned into a combination of museum and park, while retaining some of their medieval characteristics. It is the only building of its kind in the Americas. Garcia D'Ávila arrived in Bahia in 1549, together with the governor general Tomé de Sousa, in his capacity as 'almojarife', or crown treasurer, and he began building the castle in 1551. The Morgado da Torre, which translates as 'first-born of the tower', was the name given to the D'Ávila family "empire" which was considered to be the biggest estate in the world, spreading out over 800,000km2,the equivalent of a tenth of the land area of Brazil. In 1835, with the collapse of the family empire, the castle was abandoned and ended up in ruins. The Secretary of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage had it torn down in 1938.
The building has attractions such as the chapel of San Pedro de Rates, which is also known as All Saints Chapel. It also includes passageways that make the most of the stunning views over the palm trees from Praia do Forte to Itacimirim beach.
The castle is three kilometres away from the town and can be reached via the motorway towards Linea Verde. One of the most adventurous options to reach the castle is by quad bike, driving over the paths leading from the Atlantic Forest of the Sapiranga Nature Reserve.
How to get there:
Accessed via the motorway towards Linea Verde
Tel.: 0055 (71) 3676-1073
Website: www.casadatorre.org.br