Rio’s Botafogo has always been Sergio’s home. The beachfront neighborhood, nestled in a scenic cove with a backdrop that includes the city’s iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, is home to a mostly middle class community of almost 100,000. It’s flanked by Mundo Novo and Dona Marta hills, which separate it from the Laranjeiras neighborhood, and São João, which separates it from the famous and luxurious Copacabana.
Named after the Portuguese João Pereira de Sousa Botafogo, who was responsible for the galleon Botafogo’s artillery, the neighborhood’s name literally means “set it on fire.”
By today’s standards, the name still describes the area well. It’s bustling with commerce and local shops, sees a steady stream of regularly gridlocked traffic and its afternoons burn under the midday sun.
That year-round summer heat is one of the things that makes Botafogo beach a top choice for locals. Located in Botafogo’s cove, it’s hidden from the busy streets of the neighborhood by a tree-lined park, making it difficult for tourists to stumble upon. And that’s what makes it great, according to Sergio Sr.
“We don’t get many tourists here. The ones who do manage to find us are always shocked that there’s a beach behind these,” he says, pointing to the trees just across from the bike path that runs the length of the beach, hugging the sand. “We should get more now that the World Cup is approaching, but it’s mostly cariocas, people from the neighborhood, who come here.”
And that well-kept secret is an integral part of the community. It’s not only where people go to relax after work or on the weekends, it’s also where young boys likeSergio Jr. spend time with their friends, learning new soccer tricks and playing footvolley.
“I grew up on this beach. This is where I first learned how to play soccer and where I started making friends,” he says, sitting with his father under the overhang of his drink stand in the sand. “Before soccer started taking up most of my time, I helped my father out here when it was the busy season, so this beach is like my backyard.”
Botafogo is also home to what Sergio says is the team he holds close to his heart, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, and the São Clemente samba school, which performs every year in Rio’s Carnival parades. Its warm and inviting environment makes it feel like home, even to those farthest from the place where they usually rest their heads, making it easy to see why Sergio isn’t eager to leave his hometown.
“I’ve never dreamed of traveling to any specific place,” he says, shrugging his shoulders. “I would play anywhere, but I love it here.”
His father nods his head slowly.
“I’ve spent my whole life here,” he says, looking out at the postcard-perfect shimmering water and clear blue sky. “Who would ever want to leave this place?”
