A much more grand square is the Praça da Aclamação, lined with impressive edifices such as the Casa da Câmara e Cadeia, the town’s 17th-century jailhouse, which currently functions as its city hall.

Also on the praça, you can’t miss the splendidly baroque Igreja da Ordem Terceira e Convento do Carmo (Praça da Aclamação, tel. 75/3425-4853, 9 a.m.–noon and 2–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sun.). The church is richly decorated with Portuguese ceramic tiles, an extravagantly ornate gold altar, and an exquisitely paneled ceiling. A side gallery features polychrome Christ figures, produced in the Portuguese colony of Macao, whose gory realism is enhanced by a glittering mixture of bovine blood and rubies.

Inside, the Museu de Arte Sacra do Recôncavo (R$2) has a collection of religious art and objects. It can be accessed via the cloister of the equally magnificent convent, which operates as a pousada with a restaurant.

Housed in a handsome civic building, the Museu Regional (Praça da Aclamação 19, tel. 75/3425-1123, 8 a.m.–noon and 2–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 8 a.m.–noon Sat.–Sun., R$1) has an unassuming collection of 18th- and 19th-century furniture and decorative objects.