The sloping, pastel-painted square at the heart of the Pelourinho is what everyone photographs. The buildings step up the slope in pinks, blues, yellows, and whites, with the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos at the foot and the Casa de Jorge Amado museum at the top.
The square fills with capoeira circles and drumming groups most afternoons, and on Tuesdays the steps host the Olodum drumming group rehearsals — a serious not-to-be-missed event. By night the music continues in the surrounding bars. Be careful with phones and bags in the crowds.