Walking through the Paths of Desterro
This tour proposes a guided crossing through the stories, resistances, and black presences that shaped Florianópolis, even though they are often erased from official discourses. By walking through the historic center, you will discover the black roots that support the social and cultural formation of the city, connecting with characters, spaces, and practices that reveal the protagonism of the black population in the history of Desterro.
The itinerary seeks to reconnect you with the invisible memories of the territory, highlighting the economy of black women, black political power, resistance through music, and how art keeps alive the cultural continuity. Each stop is an invitation to understand how people created life, resistance, and legacy in a city that tried to erase them. And it is precisely in this continuity that the walk ends: in samba. Because samba is not just music — it is resistance, it is living memory, it is the body that continues dancing the stories that cannot be erased.
Stopping Points
Metropolitan Cathedral — Foundation of Desterro and enslaved labor
Cruz e Sousa Palace — Black political power: Abdon Batista and Heráclito Carneiro
November 15th Square — Cruz e Sousa, market women, and economy of black women
City Hall and Jail — Architecture of control and resistance
João Pinto Promenade — Street vendors and urban sanitation
Ratcliff Alley — Rainbow Institute and samba as resistance
Antonieta de Barros School — First black woman state deputy in Brazil
Hercílio Luz Avenue — Rio da Bulha, washerwomen, and memory
Our Lady of the Rosary Church — Black brotherhoods and celebration
Closing: Samba and Celebration
After the conversation circle at the Rosary Church, the walk turns into a celebration. You will be invited to join a samba circle — a space where history becomes body, where resistance becomes rhythm, where memory becomes dance.
Samba is not just the closing: it is the synthesis of everything that has been experienced. It is the moment when you understand, not only with the mind, but with the whole body, why these stories matter. Why these people matter. Why this resistance remains alive.
Depending on the chosen day, you will participate in:
Friday: Informal Street Samba at Nunes Machado — spontaneous, authentic meeting where samba pulsates in the street
Saturday: Antonieta's Samba at Bugio Centro — celebration dedicated to the memory of Antonieta de Barros
Sunday: Largo's Samba at Bugio Centro — community circle where stories are shared and celebrated
Food and drinks are available at partner spaces, allowing you to slow down, share impressions, and integrate the experience.
Practical Information
Duration: 4-5 hours | Difficulty: Easy | Group: 8-20 participants
Schedule and Closing: