Ribeirão da Ilha Beach Picture 1

More information on Ribeirão da Ilha in Florianopolis Photo by: Renata Diem

Beach Ribeirão da Ilha is located in the south bay of Florianopolis, capital of Santa Catarina, and consists of several smaller beaches.

Located 36 kilometers from the center of Florianopolis, Ribeirão da Ilha is composed of several small beaches, calm waters and sand. It is considered one of the few places in the southern coast of Brazil that conserves the traces of Portuguese colonization. A walk to the beach is a throwback to the Azorean culture and customs. 

When you arrive, you see the defining traits of this culture still preserved. The houses often have pink walls with white, green, blue or yellow window sills. The curtains are often entirely made from lace. Furthermore, it is common to have women perched on the window sills, watching and enjoying everyday life. Meanwhile, their husbands, almost all fishermen pull nets on the beach to bring home fresh fish.

The Brook of the Island was one of the first communities in the state and the first part of Florianopolis to be inhabited in the sixteenth century, the Carijós Indians.

The name given to the beach comes from a small river located at the beach.  According to historians, the first Spanish and Portuguese sailors arrived around 1506. Twenty years later, the navigator Sebastian Cabot crossed the Atlantic and came here, and reportedly was at the Port of Ribeirão, that Cabot would have docked at. Between 1748 and 1756 was the effective colonization of the island, landing about six thousand islanders. Some authors report that fifty couples settled in Ribeirão da Ilha.

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