Vidigal is a neighborhood and a

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Geography

Vidigal overlooks Ipanema Beach ( pt, Praia de Ipanema) and

Ilhas Cagarras The Ilhas Cagarras (Cagarras Islands) are an uninhabited archipelago located off Ipanema, a major beach of the southern coast of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have been designated a federal natural monument since 2010. Location The ar ...

. It is located in the South Zone of

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, between

Leblon Leblon (Portuguese: /leˈblõ/) is a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is also the name of the local beach. The neighborhood is located in the South Zone of the city, between Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Morro Dois Irmãos and the Jardim ...

and

São Conrado São Conrado (Portuguese: /sɐ̃w̃ kõˈʁadu/) is a neighborhood in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is nestled in between the neighborhoods of Barra da Tijuca to the southwest and Leblon to the northeast. The neighbo ...

neighborhoods.

Morro Dois Irmãos

The Vidigal favela is located at the base of ("Two Brothers Hill"), which inspired a song by

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

. is also the location of a very frequented and sought-after Two Brothers trail (). To complete this hike, one would travel to Vidigal. At the base, near Praça do Vidigal, visitors may choose to ride to the Vila Olímpica soccer field (the entrance for the hike) by Kombi van or on the moto-taxis. There are two viewpoints in this hike before reaching the final destination of the peak. From the first, you will be able to see Rocinha, which is the largest favela in Latin America, and a clear view of Pedra da Gávea. From the second, you are able to see Serra da Carioca, Gávea, Corcovado (where Christ the Redeemer stands tall), and Pedra Bonita. Upon reaching the highest peak of the Morro Dois Irmãos you are able to see all of South Zone (Zona Sul) ranging from Botafogo to Leblon, including a beautiful view of Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas).

Crime

In November 2011, Vidigal and its neighboring community,

Rocinha Rocinha (, ''little farm'') is the largest favela in Brazil, located in Rio de Janeiro's South Zone between the districts of São Conrado and Gávea. Rocinha is built on a steep hillside overlooking Rio de Janeiro, and is located about o ...

, were pacified by the Pacifying Police Unit. In September 2017, a so-called coup d'état took place in Rocinha which saw its criminal control shift from ADA to CV ( or Red Command). As of December 2017, and through December 2020, Vidigal is a completely transformed favela, for the worse, where it is not uncommon to hear daily heavy arms fire and even see criminals carrying machine-guns on the main street, Av. Presidente João Goulart at all times of day. In 2020, at times there were gun battles between the military police and drug traffickers.

Gallery

File:Vidigal - Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Aerial view of Vidigal File:RiodeJaneiro-Favela.jpg, Vidigal. The tall building to the right is the Sheraton Rio luxury hotel File:Rio de janeiro favela ipanema beach night 2010.JPG, Vidigal at night File:Morro dois irmaos hike view 1.jpg, From viewpoint of Morro Dois Irmãos Hike File:Morro dois irmaos hike view 2.jpg, View from highest peak of Morro Dois Irmãos Hike.

References

{{Authority control Favelas Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city)