With a history dating to the early 1500s, Salvador was once the center of a lucrative sugar trade. The legacy of that wealth is a concentration of extravagant mansions, baroque churches and grand public buildings in the old city, or Pelourinho. In the past 20 years, major restoration efforts have been undertaken to dazzling effect. The waterfront, too, is undergoing a rebirth and is filled with a lively mix of first-class shops and restaurants. Now capital of the state of Bahia, Salvador is known as the “Capital da Alegria” (“Capital of Joy”), thanks to the legendary high spirits of its inhabitants. And today, the city is not only the center of Brazilian contemporary music, but also of the country’s cuisine. Its annual Carnival rivals that of Rio de Janeiro.