Sights in The Southeast
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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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Theatro Municipal
São Paulo's most splendid construction, the Theatro Municipal was begun in 1903 in the style of Paris' Palais Garnier. Its heavily ornamented façade seems to combine every architectural style imaginable, from Baroque to Art Nouveau, and its interior is clad in gold and marble. The theater hosts the city's top classical music and opera performances.
There are guided visits at 13:00 Tuesdays and Thursdays; reservations are required at least one day in advance.
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Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis just west of the cathedral is one the best-preserved colonial structures in the city. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is a classic example of Portuguese baroque. At the time of writing the church was closed for a major restoration.
Next to it is the prestigious College of LawT0CAB. Founded in 1827, it is Brazil's oldest institution of higher learning, although the current building dates to the early 20th century.
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Theatro Municipal
São Paulo’s most splendid construction, this theater was begun in 1903 in the style of Paris’ Palais Garnier. Its heavily ornamented facade seems to combine every architectural style imaginable, from baroque to art nouveau, and its interior is clad in gold and marble. The theater hosts the city’s top classical music, opera and ballet performances. At the time of research, it was undergoing a major, multiyear restoration, with no fixed date for reopening.
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Centro Brasileiro de Estudos Latino Americano
Centro Brasileiro de Estudos Latino Americano (CBEAL) is a cultural and research foundation, housed in the Memorial da América Latina complex. It includes an auditorium that stages free concerts, and various interesting handicraft exhibits from regional Brazil and other Latin American countries. Cândido Portinari's painting Tiradentes hangs in the Salão de Atos, and huge panels by Carybé and Poty Lazzarotto represent the people of South America.
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Beaches
Of the sheltered beaches on the north side of the island, Praia Jabaquara is recommended; it's accessed by a 5km-long walking trail. On the east side, where the surf is stronger, try beautiful Praia dos Castelhanos (good for camping and surfing), which is backed by the steeply rising jungle. From the town of Borrifos you can take a four-hour walk to Praia Bonete, a windy surf beach lying on the southern side of the island that you will share with a local community of fishermen.
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Igreja de São Francisco de Assis
This 1774 baroque church is exquisite. It’s on the south side of the river and faces an elegant lyre-shaped plaza filled with towering palms. Inside the church are two Aleijadinho sculptures: the figures of São João Evangelista and São Gonçalo do Amarante in the second altar to the left. The facade, with sculptures of the Immaculate Virgin and angels executed by Francisco de Lima Cerqueira based on Aleijadinho’s design, is one of the finest in Minas.
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Igreja Matriz de Santo Antônio
Named for the town’s patron saint, this church is one of Brazil’s most beautiful, and among the last designed by Aleijadinho. Leandro Gonçalves Chaves made the famous sundial out front in 1785. The all-gold interior is rich in Old Testament symbolism. The polychrome organ was built in Portugal and brought to Tiradentes by donkey in 1798. Also striking are the seven golden phoenixes (symbols of Christ’s resurrection), suspending candleholders from long braided chains.
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Matriz NS da Conceição de Antônio Dias
Matriz NS da Conceição de Antônio Dias was designed by Aleijadinho’s father, Manuel Francisco Lisboa, and built between 1727 and 1770. Note the eagle with downturned head and the Virgin Mary surrounded by cherubs: both stand atop images of the moon, symbolizing the Christians’ domination of the Moors. Aleijadinho is buried by the altar of Boa Morte. The Museu do Aleijadinho in the adjoining sacristy displays beautiful works by Aleijadinho and other 18th-century masters.
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Casa da Glória
Consisting of two houses located on opposite sides of the street connected by an enclosed, vivid-blue 2nd-story passageway, Casa da Glória was originally the residence of the diamond supervisors and the palace of Diamantina’s first bishop. Currently housing Diamantina’s Institute of Geology, the building has plenty of historical character, but there’s not much to see here other than a ragtag collection of old photos, mineral specimens and a couple of 19th-century German maps.
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Museu do Ipiranga
Set amid Versailles-like gardens in the eastern suburb of Ipiranga, this museum began its life as a memorial to Brazil’s independence from Portugal. According to legend, Dom Pedro declared independence on the shores of a nearby stream. The gardens and palace are the real treat here, as are the fine vistas that its hilltop position affords. The collection, documenting the independence movement as well as Brazilian history, is of more modest interest. Signage in Portuguese only.
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Auditório Ibirapuera
The Parque do Ibirapuera’s most recent addition, the Auditório Ibirapuera is a Niemeyer design that dates to the park’s founding, though it was only completed five decades later, in 2005. Nicknamed ‘a língua’ (‘the tongue’) for the bright-red metal awning that sticks out rather lewdly from an otherwise bunkerlike concrete trapezoid, the hall hosts a wide variety of musical styles, from classical to experimental. Concert bookings can be made through Ticketmaster Brasil.
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Museu de Arte Sacra
The best of its kind in Brazil, this museum includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Antônio Aleijadinho, along with some 200 other ecclesiastical works from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum is housed in the 18th-century Luz monastery, which is one of São Paulo’s best-preserved buildings of the period and also a fine example of Portuguese colonial architecture. A new annex houses an amazingly large and elaborate Neapolitan manger scene, plus a collection of other manger scenes from around the world.
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Páteo do Colégio
Just up the street from Solar da Marquesa lies a mission that occupies the exact spot where São Paulo was founded in 1554 by Jesuit brothers José de Anchieta and Manoel da Nóbregra. The current structure is actually a 1950s replica of the monastery that once stood here, although inside it does possess a nice little collection of original relics from the city’s first days, as well as an interesting set of drawings that chart the city’s growth over the last five centuries. The museum’s café also makes for a tranquil pit stop.
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Parque Nacional de Itatiaia
Parque Nacional de Itatiaia is Brazil’s oldest national park, and one of its most ruggedly beautiful. Its lush, dark foliage contains more than 400 species of native birds and is also home to monkeys and sloths. Divided into upper and lower sections, the park features lakes, rivers, waterfalls, alpine meadows and primary and secondary Atlantic rain forests. Don’t let the tropical plants fool you; temperatures drop below freezing in June and, occasionally, the park even has a few snowy days! Bring warm clothes, even in summer.
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Instituto Butantan
One of the city's most popular attractions - at least among non-ophidophobes - this institute is internationally respected for its ground-breaking biomedical research. However, the biggest draw is its venom farm - researchers milk some 1000 snakes of their poison, which is then used to make antidotes to snake and spider bites, as well as in research for other medicines.
You can see the snakes in their cages, which attempt to recreate their native habitat - because apparently happy snakes produce more poison. Yet further proof the universe has a sense of humor!
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Bosque da Leitura
A meandering duck pond takes up much of the western half of Parque do Ibirapuera, and around it are arranged a series of shaded walks, including the Bosque da Leitura - a woodsy section that on Sundays turns into an open-air library where you can check out books for the afternoon.
To get the park, take the metro to Vila Mariana station and then bus 775-A 'Jardim Aldagiza.' There are lots of snack stands throughout the park, or you can get a full meal at the Green, between the Museu de Arte Moderna and the Museu Afro-Brasil, which serves a hearty per-kilo buffet.
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Instituto Butantan
Highly respected for its groundbreaking biomedical research, this institute is best known as a venom farm. Researchers milk a total of tens of thousands of snakes of their poison, which is used to make antidotes to snake and spider bites, as well as in research for other medicines. Located in the leafy Cidade Universitária, the small museum displays snakes in dozens of shapes and sizes. At the time of research a devastating fire had destroyed almost half a million preserved specimens, though no live animals. Check ahead to ensure that the museum is operating normally.
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Edifício Copan
Architecturally remarkable Edifício Copan was designed by modernist master Oscar Niemeyer. The building’s serpentine facade and narrow brises soleil (permanent sunshades) have become a symbol of the city. You can visit its snaking, sloping ground-floor shopping arcade, but the upper floors are made up of private apartments and thus off limits. Note that the leftist architect designed the building to bring together all classes by including sprawling apartments for the rich as well as tiny studios for the working poor – a real rarity in class-conscious São Paulo.
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Praia de Parnaioca
Praia de Parnaioca also ranks up there among the most beautiful beaches in Brazil, accessible via an 8km (each way) trail that passes through Dois Rios, a picturesque beach where two separate rivers flow into the open Atlantic.
Before hitting the trail, let people at your pousada know where you're going and when you'll be back, stock up on water and bug repellent and bring a flashlight, as darkness comes swiftly under the jungle canopy. Guides are advisable for exploring beyond the most heavily traveled routes - poorly marked trails and poisonous snakes can make things challenging.
reviewed
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Museu de Arte Sacra
The best of its kind in Brazil, the Museu de Arte Sacra includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Antônio Aleijadinho, along with some 2000 other ecclesiastical works from the 17th to 20th centuries. The museum is housed in the 18th-century Luz monastery, which is one of São Paulo's best-preserved buildings of the period and also a fine example of Portuguese colonial architecture.
The best of its kind in Brazil, this museum includes works by renowned 18th-century sculptor Aleijadinho along with some 2,000 other ecclesiastical works spanning the period from the 17th to 20th centuries.
reviewed
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Colônia Penal Cândido Mendes
Dois Rios served as the site of the Colônia Penal Cândido Mendes, Ilha Grande's last functioning prison, used to hold political prisoners during the military regime that took power in 1964, and finally destroyed (literally blown up!) by order of the state government in 1994.
Before hitting the trail, let people at your pousada know where you're going and when you'll be back, stock up on water and bug repellent and bring a flashlight, as darkness comes swiftly under the jungle canopy. Guides are advisable for exploring beyond the most heavily traveled routes - poorly marked trails and poisonous snakes can make things challenging.
reviewed
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Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima
Extra-wide Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima (called just 'Faria Lima') marks the southwestern edge of the Jardins neighborhoods, and is the main corridor connecting Pinheiros with the ritzy neighborhoods of Morumbi, Vila Olímpia, Itaim Bibi and Moema. These areas are largely congested streets, forbidding luxury high-rises and glittering complexes that house the majority of the city's most-profitable businesses, from banking to technology.
That said, there are plenty of fine restaurants, nightclubs and shopping opportunities that die-hards may want to seek out. Unfortunately, poor public transport makes a taxi or your own vehicle a necessity.
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Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim
Centro de Arte Contemporânea Inhotim, greater Belo’s new tourist attraction, is an impressive, sprawling complex of gardens dotted with 16 modern art galleries and numerous outdoor sculptures, 50km west of the city, near the town of Brumadinho. Much of the international artwork on display is monumental in size. The gardens, which were opened to the public in October 2006 and are expanding constantly, boast 1600 different species of plants (including 200 types of palm alone), peacocks and lakes with swans. You can wander at will, or attend daily scheduled programs led by guides trained in visual arts and natural science. The on-site restaurant and café are both…
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Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP)
Sampa’s pride, this museum possesses Latin America’s most comprehensive collection of Western art. Hovering above a concrete plaza that turns into an antiques fair on Sundays, the museum, designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi and completed in 1968, is considered a classic of modernism by many and an abomination by a vocal few. The collection, though, is unimpeachable, and ranges from Goya to El Greco to Manet. The impressionist collection is particularly impressive. There are also a few great Brazilian paintings, including three fine works by Cândido Portinari. The museum hosts temporary exhibits, and there is a bright, pleasant cafeteria on the lower level which hosts a…
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