Vidigal is a neighborhood and a

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Geography

Vidigal overlooks Ipanema Beach () and Ilhas Cagarras. It is located in the South Zone of Rio, between

Leblon Leblon () 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 de Alah channel, borde ...

and

São Conrado São Conrado (Portuguese language, Portuguese: Help:IPA/Portuguese, /sɐ̃w̃ kõˈʁadu/) is a neighborhood in the Rio de Janeiro#South Zone, South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is nestled in between the neighborhoods of Barra da ...

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, econom ...

. 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. The first allows hikers to see Rocinha, which is the largest favela in Latin America, as well as Pedra da Gávea. From the second, hikers can see Serra da Carioca, Gávea, Corcovado (where Christ the Redeemer is), and Pedra Bonita. The highest peak of the Morro Dois Irmãos offers a view of all of South Zone (Zona Sul) ranging from Botafogo to Leblon, including a view of Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon (Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas).

Crime

In November 2011, Vidigal and its neighboring community,

Rocinha Rocinha (, ) is a 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 one kilometre from a nearby beac ...

, were pacified by the

Pacifying Police Unit The Pacifying Police Unit (, also translated as Police Pacification Unit), abbreviated UPP, is a Specialist law enforcement agency, law enforcement and social services program pioneered in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which aims to recla ...

. 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, Vidigal is a completely transformed favela, where arms fire is highly uncommon even though one can see the drug traffickers carry machine guns close to the main street, Av. Presidente João Goulart. In 2020, there were battles between the military police and drug traffickers with fatalities. Vidigal is considered safe for both locals and tourists. It is a vibrant sports, culture, and family community with a daily flux of tourists coming in from all over Brazil and the world at all hours of the day.

In popular culture

In cinema

* In the anthology film '' Rio, I Love You'', by

Im Sang-soo Im Sang-soo (; born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He has twice been invited to compete for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival: first for '' The Housemaid'' in 2010, and then '' The Taste of Money'' in 2 ...

, the sketch ''The Vampire of Rio'' takes place in the favela of Vidigal. * The film ''A Frente Fria que a Chuva Traz'' (2015), by Neville D'Almeida, was shot in Vidigal. * The film ''Mundo Novo'' (2021), by Álvaro Campos, was shot in Vidigal. * The film ''A Festa de Léo'' (2024), by Luciana Bezerra and Gustavo Melo, was shot in Vidigal.

In literature

* The four short stories in Olavo Wyszomirski's Histórias do Vidigal (2015) are set in the favela.language=pt, author=, url = https://www.amazon.com.br/Hist%C3%B3rias-do-Vidigal-Olavo-Wyszomirski/dp/8566464761, title = Histórias do Vidigal por Olavo Wyszomirski , website = Amazon.com.br, date = , accessdate = 20 July 2024

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:Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.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. File:Leblonevidigal.jpg, Vidigal watched from Leblon beach.

References

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