Cidades Históricas de Minas 

Tiradentes, The Imperial City!

Igreja Matriz de Santo Antonio
After forty years of construction, this church was inaugurated in 1750, and is the second most richly decorated church in Brazil, thanks to the size of its gilded alters. The rococo paintings, 18th century organ and entrance doorway designed by Aleijadinho, demonstrate the importance of this Imperial City. On the floor you will find 116 tomb stones of nobles and slaves.

Bichinho
This delightful village close to Tiradentes, is itself an invitation for you to inspect the local ceramic artwork or simply to enjoy a delicious Cachacinha (a local cane rum drink).

Sobrado Ramalho, Impressive Colonial Buildings
The city’s oldest two storey building houses the Instituto de Patrimônio Històrico e Artístico Nacional.  The property, known as “Quatro Cantos” (Four Corners) is one of the best preserved colonial buildings in Tiradentes.

What superb handicrafts!
The city of Tiradentes shops have superb quality handicraft works, which include wooden sculptures, bedspreads, hand loom woven rugs with harmonious combinations of colours, cups, pewter plates and platters, Richelieu embroidery, ceramic utilities and delightful papier-mache figures of young girls, sighing at the windows, longing for their lovers to pass by.

You must take this train journey
The Railway station constructed in 1880 and inaugurated by D. Pedro II in 1884 is to-day the starting point of delightful journeys that occur at weekends and Bank Holidays, when the Maria Fumaça (steam train) takes passengers from Tiradentes to Sao Joao del Rey. The backdrop during the 12km journey is the Serra de Sao Jose, dotted with 100 year old farms.

Diamantina has much more to intrigue!

The main activity in the Rua da Quitanda in the 18th century was slaves selling tasty dishes from their trays. To-day, the street is full of wonderful surprises, including restaurants, bars, antique shops and lodging places. In the gift shops, you will find crystal, cloth woven on hand looms and embroidery. Among the rows of buildings, look out for number 24, known as the Casa do Muxarabie, whose particularity is its trellis windows, through which the residents may observe the passers by in the street, quite undetected.

Rua São Francisco
Juscelino Kubitschek  used to live in house number 241 and to-day it is a museum dedicated to his memory. Within, you may see his first medical consultation report, his library and the simplicity of his bedroom, containing what Juscelino himself called “box made furniture”.

Rua da Gloria
The Casa da Gloria, a short distance from the centre, comprises, in reality, two properties, one 18th and the other 19th century, one on either side of the street, but connected by a little bridge, which was inspired by the “Sighing Bridge” of Venice.

Do taste this cheese!
The true hand made cheese of Minas Gerais has nothing in common with the famous Queijo de Minas, made from pasteurised milk. In Minas, they say “good cheese is cured cheese” and the best are matured for up to twenty days. The traditional know- how of making this cheese from fresh milk has been handed down from the original Portuguese settlers for over 200 years. This is not all. The other secret ingredient is the natural fermentation called “Pingo”, which is differentiated by its colour and taste. The true secret of preparing the Queijo de Minas is to-day officially recognised as part of Brazil’s Cultural Patrimony.

Don’t miss this!
Trips in the surrounding areas of Diamantina are journeys touched with the spice of adventure. In the Vale do Jequitinhonha, with its low stunted vegetation, flow streams that at times swell to form rapids and falls which then create natural swimming pools. These waterfalls are named da Toca, das Frades, dos Remédios, dos Cristais and da Sentinela. Tracks lead to Pico de Itambé, Gruta do Salitre and the Serra dos Cristais. Well worth a visit is the old Biribiri textile factory, founded in 1870. Around its foundations you may follow the Caminho dos Escravos (the Slave’s Route), part of the Estrada Real which passed through Diamantina, connecting it with Paraty.