Vidigal, Rio de Janeiro

Vidigal is a neighborhood and a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Geography

Vidigal overlooks Ipanema Beach and Ilhas Cagarras. It is located in the South Zone of Rio, between [Leblon, Rio de Janeiro|Rio de Janeiro|Leblon] and São Conrado neighborhoods.

Morro Dois Irmãos

The Vidigal favela is located at the base of Morro Dois Irmãos, which inspired a song by Chico Buarque.
Morro Dois Irmãos is also the location of a very frequented and sought-after Two Brothers trail. To complete this hike, one would travel to Vidigal. At the base, near Praça do Vidigal, visitors may choose to ride to the Vila Olímpica soccer field by Kombi van or on the moto-taxis. There are two viewpoints in this hike before reaching the final destination of the peak. The first allows hikers to see Rocinha, which is the largest favela in Latin America, as well as Pedra da Gávea. From the second, hikers can see Serra da Carioca, Gávea, Corcovado, and Pedra Bonita. The highest peak of the Morro Dois Irmãos offers a view of all of South Zone ranging from Botafogo to Leblon, including a view of Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon.

Crime

In November 2011, Vidigal and its neighboring community, Rocinha, were pacified by the Pacifying Police Unit.
In September 2017, a so-called coup d'état took place in Rocinha which saw its criminal control shift from ADA to CV.
As of December 2017, Vidigal is a completely transformed favela, where arms fire is highly uncommon even though one can see the drug traffickers carry machine guns close to the main street, Av. Presidente João Goulart. In 2020, there were battles between the military police and drug traffickers with fatalities.
Vidigal is considered safe for both locals and tourists. It is a vibrant sports, culture, and family community with a daily flux of tourists coming in from all over Brazil and the world at all hours of the day.

In popular culture

In cinema

In the anthology film Rio, I Love You, by Im Sang-soo, the sketch The Vampire of Rio takes place in the favela of Vidigal.
The film A Frente Fria que a Chuva Traz, by Neville d'Almeida, was shot in Vidigal.
The film Mundo Novo, by Álvaro Campos, was shot in Vidigal.
The film A Festa de Léo, by Luciana Bezerra and Gustavo Melo, was shot in Vidigal.

In literature

The four short stories in Olavo Wyszomirski's Histórias do Vidigal are set in the favela.
Several scenes from the novel O Grande Dia, by Pierre Cormon, take place in an imaginary favela called Dois Irmãos, which evokes Vidigal.