Square, Plaza sights in Brazil
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A
Praça XV de Novembro
The center of town is the inviting Praça XV de Novembro with its shady walks and 100-year-old fig tree. The Museu Histórico de Santa Catarina sits on one side of the square, while the Catedral Metropolitana sits grandly at the high end. The best-preserved colonial church in Florianópolis, Igreja de NS do Rosário, sits picturesquely atop the steps at Rua Trajano.
At the other end of the square, the busy promenade, Rua Felipe Schmidt, is fine for people-watching and window-shopping. Or continue down to the waterfront to the well-preserved Alfândega (customs house) and Mercado Municipal (municipal market).
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B
Avenida São Luís
Praça da República is an always-lively square a few blocks northwest of Anhangabaú that turns into an open-air market on Sundays, specializing in crafts, paintings, coins and gemstones. The area north of the square has become popular with the gay community , while to the south lies a nest of business hotels, huge office buildings and, especially along Avenida São Luís, what were once some of the city's most prestigious apartment buildings.
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C
Praça Floriano
The heart of modern Rio, Praça Floriano comes to life at lunchtime and after work when the outdoor cafés are filled with beer drinkers, samba musicians and political debate. The square is also Rio’s political marketplace. There’s daily speechmaking, literature sales and street theater. Most city marches and rallies culminate here on the steps of the old Câmara Municipal (Town Hall), in the northwest corner of the plaza.
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Pelourinho
The centerpiece of the Cidade Alta is the Pelourinho ( M01E1), a Unesco-declared World Heritage site of colorful colonial buildings and magnificent churches. The area has undergone major restoration work - which remains ongoing - since 1993 thanks to Unesco funding. Admittedly, the Pelô has lost a lot of its character in the process, but to say that it is now safer and better preserved is an understatement.
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Quadrado
Trancoso is known for its wide, grassy and, most importantly, car-free quadrado(square). This central plaza has a grazing horse or two and football-playing lads and a small church at one end. Surrounding it are tropical foliage and colorful buildings, which house expensive boutiques and open-air bars and restaurants. The sight of the quadrado at night is magical.
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D
Largo das Neves
A slice of small-town life in the city, this small plaza is the gathering point for neighborhood children and families, who lounge in the benches by day. At night, the bars surrounding the square come alive with revelers crowding the walkways. At times, MPB bands perform to a young crowd here. Largo das Neves is the terminus of the Paula Matos bonde line.
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Rua Augusta
North of Paulista, Rua Augusta is São Paulo's traditional red-light district, and at night the traffic slows to a crawl as johns troll the sidewalks from their cars. The area is slowly being taken over by the city's alternative crowd, however, and its simple bars and restaurants are packed after 22:00 with the young, high-minded and multiply pierced.
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E
Largo do Boticário
The brightly painted houses on the picturesque square of Largo do Boticário date from the early 19th century. Largo do Boticário was named in honor of the Portuguese gentleman – Joaquim Luiz da Silva Souto – who once ran a boticário (apothecary) utilized by the royal family.
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F
Praça da Liberdade
Praça da Liberdade is the neighborhood's main square and also the location of its metro stop. It hosts an open-air market on Sundays. A short walk south on Rua Galvão Bueno takes you past many Asian shops and restaurants as well as some rather neglected Japanese-style gardens.
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G
Avenida Ipiranga
For Caetano Veloso fans, a visit to the corner of Avenida Ipiranga and Avenida São João, which features in his beloved song 'Sampa,' is mandatory. There are no sights to speak of, but the bustling intersection does a good job of summing up the city.
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H
Terreiro de Jesus
A colorful intersection of vendors, tourists, capoeiristas and colorful locals, the Terreiro de Jesus is a historic site of religious celebrations, and is ringed by four churches, as well as the 19th-century Faculdade de Medicina Building.
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I
Praça da Sé
The slick, L-shaped Praça da Sé has fenced-off ruins of the foundations of its namesake church and cool fountains. A motley assortment of street performers congregate here, attracting crowds of locals and tourists alike.
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J
Praça da Sé
The old heart of the city, Praça da Sé has seen better days but still draws animated crowds, from street hawkers and nose-down business types to - unfortunately - more than its fair share of pickpockets.
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Praça Girossóis
Most of the sights of interest are in Praça Girossóis, purportedly Brazil's largest municipal plaza and the second-largest in the world (after Moscow's Red Square).
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Historic Center
The cobbled streets and prettily painted, tile-roofed, 18th- and 19th-century houses of Natividade's historic center are protected as part of the national historic heritage.
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Campo Belo
The town's large central square, known as the Campo Belo, is a picturesque grassy slope dotted with palm trees and a fountain.
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K
Avenida Dom Pedro II
The long, handsome plaza known as Avenida Dom Pedro II is lined with important and historic buildings.
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