On a still, overcast morning during our week in Florianópolis, we set out on the scooter to explore the northern part of the island. Our first stop was Santo Antônio de Lisboa, a peaceful bayfront village where time seems to move slower than the tides. The streets were quiet—shops and restaurants just beginning to open, the scent of salt and damp earth lingering in the air. The bay was glassy and calm, scattered with sailboats at anchor, and in the distance, the outline of the Hercílio Luz Bridge hovered faintly on the horizon.
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At the southern end of the beach, the tourist gloss gave way to workaday scenes—wooden hovels, small fishing boats, and oyster traps laid out by the water. Santo Antônio is one of the key centers of oyster farming on the island, a tradition introduced by Azorean settlers and still very much alive.
Wandering into the village, we found colonial-era houses painted in soft pastels, with sea-themed murals and tile mosaics giving the facades a touch of whimsy. Guesthouses and ateliers peeked from behind flowering gardens, and the cobbled streets twisted gently around squares and alleys. At the heart of the village stands the church of Nossa Senhora das Necessidades, built in the mid-18th century—one of the oldest churches in Santa Catarina. Modest in size but rich in detail, it houses the island’s only wooden baptismal font, carved and worn smooth with age, a rare artifact that connects centuries of local history and ritual.
In Praça Roldão da Rocha Pires, the village’s central square and one of the first paved places in the state, a few stalls were already set up, selling handmade crafts and second-hand treasures, though the real charm came from the setting itself: beneath broad trees, with views out to the water and the slow rhythm of the village all around.
After a quiet stroll, we hopped back on the scooter and continued north toward Praia da Daniela, leaving Santo Antônio behind with the soft hum of boats in the bay and the smell of rain just starting to rise from the stones.
Accommodation & Activities in Florianópolis
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Photos
View (and if you want use) all my photographs from Santo Antonio in higher resolution.
