This traffic-free square, lined with bars, restaurants and colorful 19th-century houses, is one of Santo Antônio's more peaceful spots and a good place to stop for a drink.

　　The magnificent 18th-century baroque Concatedral de São Pedro dos Clérigos contains incredibly fine stonework and wood carvings throughout, while the Memorial Chico Science highlights the revered founder of the mangue beat musical movement, who died tragically in a Recife car accident in 1997.