Photos of Fire, Rain, and Dance on the Streets of Salvador

This story originally appeared on VICE Brazil.

Salvador is savage. The first capital of Brazil (now capital of the state of Bahia) is one of the oldest and wildest cities in the country—it has buses on fire, street parties, African orishas, kids playing in the streets, cops, a lot of rain, and wonderful beaches.

Salvador is the cradle of the samba, and it's the spirit of Carnival. In fact, its own annual Carnival rivals the better-known event that takes place in Rio every year. However, according to the UN, Salvador is also the 14th most violent city in the world. Salvador is protest; it is pain; it is an offering to the goddess of the sea, Orisha Iemanjá.

Antonello Veneri is an Italian photographer based in Brazil. These photos are his way of seeing all the above and more.

UPDATE 08/15/16: The section about the number of visitors to Salvador's annual Carnival was amended as the previous figure was incorrect.

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