Weekend in Picos

The main Catholic church, built in the 1930s, with a plain white facade and two towers. Inside there's a simple wooden altar and stained-glass windows showing saints.

Tip: Mass is at 6pm on Tuesdays and 7pm on Sundays. You can slip in quietly during services – the choir often sings in a local folk style.

Small municipal museum in a painted colonial house. Shows everyday life in Picos through old tools, pottery, and photos of the town from 1900 onwards.

Tip: The caretaker usually speaks only Portuguese but is happy to explain if you gesture. Ask to see the room with the antique sewing machines.

The large open-air market held every Saturday morning. Rows of stalls sell fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, homemade cakes, and cheap clothes. It's loud, colourful, and properly local.

Tip: Buy a bag of bocaiuva (a small sweet palm fruit) – they're rare outside the region. Also try the queijo coalho grilled on sticks, sold for about R$5.

The main square in town, with a bandstand, some mango trees, and benches. A good place to sit and watch life go by, especially late afternoon.

Tip: At sunset the ice cream carts come out – try the cashew fruit ice cream (sorvete de caju), it's local and unusual.

A solid waterfall about 15 metres high, with a clear pool for swimming below. The trail to get there is short but scrambling, so wear decent shoes.

Tip: Go early on a weekday morning (before 9am) to have the place almost to yourself. Afternoons get busy with local families.