Forte de Sao Pedro (Fort of Saint Peter), Salvador

The Fort of Saint Peter is like a time machine with cannons. A relic of the city’s colonial past, this fortress has seen everything from Portuguese colonial expansion to Dutch invasions and Brazil’s fight for independence. Built in the late 16th century by General Governor Diogo Teles de Meneses, it started as a humble wooden-and-earth barricade. Perched over the Bay of All Saints, its prime location made it the ultimate line of defense against European rivals.

Restored in the 1980s, the site was made accessible to the public as part of a collaborative effort between the Department of Culture and Tourism and the Brazilian Army to revitalize Salvador’s historic fortresses. More recently, the Bahia State Government, through the Institute of Artistic and Cultural Heritage (IPAC), initiated a comprehensive restoration project for the property.