Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 270

visionary 1950s president Juscelino
Kubitschek who founded Brasília; a statue
is dedicated to him on Rua Macau Meio.
Diamantina justifies a couple of days'
wandering around in its own right, but
you should also try to follow a trail
outside of town to take in the scenery
and nearby waterfalls and rock pools
- details of routes and guides can be
found at the tourist office (see below).

Two churches
he Igreja de N.S. Senhora do Carmo on
Rua do Carmo (open sporadically
Tues-Sun; not lunchtimes), built between
1760 and 1765, is probably the most
interesting of Diamantina's churches,
with an exceptionally rich interior
including an organ built in 1782 on
which Lobo de Mesquita, considered the
best composer of religious music of the
Americas, performed many of his own
works. Just downhill from here, the Igreja
de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos
(same opening hours) was built in 1728
to serve local slaves and features an
intricately painted ceiling.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Azul ( W voeazul.com.br) flies to Diamantina
from Belo Horizonte from R$180 return.
By bus The rodoviária is on a steep hill, about a 10min
walk above the centre of town (20min if walking uphill);
a taxi costs around R$10. Buses for Belo Horizonte leave
at midnight, 6am, 10.45am, 3.30pm and 6pm daily (6hr).
There is no service from Diamantina to Brasília.
Tourist information Centro de Atendimento ao Turista,
Praça JK 23 (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-2pm; T 38
3531 8060).

WHAT TO SEE AND DO
Diamantina's narrow streets are set on
two exceptionally steep hills. Fortunately,
almost everything of interest is tightly
packed into the central area close to the
main cathedral square, the Praça
Conselheiro Mota. The Museu do
Diamante (Tues-Sat noon-5pm, Sun
9am-noon; R$2) is right on the square at
Rua Direita 14, bringing the colonial
period vividly to life through an
extraordinary variety of exhibits. They
include real gold, real and fake diamonds,
mining paraphernalia and reproductions
of paintings depicting slaves at work.
There are also a number of swords,
pistols, guns and torture instruments that
were used on enslaved Amerindians and
Afro-Brazilians.

3

ACCOMMODATION
Diamantina Hostel Rua do Bicame 988 T 38 3531
5021, W diamantinahostel.com.br. This HI hostel is spot-
less and has a great view, yet the rooms are dark and not
especially inviting. A 15min (uphill) walk from town and
10min from the rodoviária . R$5 discount with HI card.
Dorms R$35
JK Largo Dom João 135 T 38 3531 8715, E hotel_jk
@yahoo.com.br. Set in an ugly 1960s building opposite
the rodoviária , this could be Minas's biggest bargain, with
basic but serviceable rooms, friendly staff and breakfast
included. Tw o mor lie basic-i sh opt ions lie on the same
street. Dorms R$24 , doubles R$50
Pousada dos Cristais Rua Jogo da Bola 53 T 38 3531
2897, W pousadadoscristais.com.br. Lovely pousada with
well-decorated spacious rooms, a pleasant patio and pool,
with commanding view s of the surrounding landscape.
Good breakfast included. R$100

Mercado Velho and Casa da Glória
he Mercado Velho on Praça Barão de
Guaicuí, just below the cathedral square, is
an exceptional structure, worth visiting for
the building alone; the market itself is held
on weekends, a buzzing throng of traders
selling cachaças , cheese, and ceramics from
the Jequitinhonha valley to the north. The
wooden arches inspired Niemeyer's design
for the exterior of the Presidential Palace
in Brasília. Also more worthwhile for
the building than its contents is the
eighteenth-century Casa da Glória , which
is uphill from the tourist office at Rua da
Glória 298 (Tues-Sun 8am-6pm); it was
inspired by Venetian structures. This
former residence of diamond supervisors,
episcopal see of the first bishops of
Diamantina and subsequently a school,
is now part of the Centre of Geology and
contains a collection of maps, gemstones
and minerals.

EATING AND DRINKING
There's a decent variety of budget options around the town
centre, most serving comida mineira . Bars around Rua da
Quintanda such as Café A Baiúca have tables spilling onto
the square - perfect to watch life go by as you sip a chopp .