vidigal is one of the most important favelas in rio de janeiro due to its visible presence in the zona sul, on the sides of the dois irmãos, the two-peak landmark mountain visible from ipanema and leblon .

during the day vidigal can easily be seen from the beaches of ipanema and leblon. At night it looks even more spectacular, when the lights of the favela light up the side of the dois irmãos mountains like a christmas tree.

vidigal's privileged location created much domestic and international interest in developing the favela into a resort or a luxury neighborhood so to take advantage of its beautiful ocean and mountain views.  as of today,  none of  the commercial real estate development efforts have been successful.