Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
after techniques developed in
the late 19th and early 20th
centuries by Benedictines in
the monastery of Beuron in
southwest Germany. It is
characterized by a com-
pressed perspective and vivid
colors. The finest represent-
ation of Beuronese art in Latin
America is visible inside this
beautiful Blessed Sacrament
chapel. Scenes from the life
of St. Benedict are depicted
on the stained-glass windows
and the ceiling.
The church has a large
organ, which is the center-
piece of a festival held in
November and December
every year. There is also a
shop selling delicious sweets
and cakes made by the monks.
View of the exterior of Theatro Municipal
Edifício Itália
8
Av Ipiranga 344.
Map
1 B2, 1 B3.
Tel
(011) 3257 6566.
inaugural night. It opened on
September 12, 1911, with a
production of
Hamlet
, starring
the Italian baritone Titta Ruffo.
Nijinski, Caruso, and Toscanini
have all performed here.
#
8am-10pm
daily.
Q
República.
The Edifíco Itália, one of São
Paulo's tallest buildings, was
built in 1965 to honor the
thousands of Italian immi-
grants to the city. The famous
postcard shot of Oscar
Niemeyer's Edífico Copan with
the vast environs of São Paulo
behind was taken from the
Terraço Itália
restaurant
(see
p399)
and viewing deck on
the 45th floor of the building.
People do not usually come
for the food - most come for
the unbeatable view of this
incredible city. The view from
here is second only to that
from the Edifício Banespa.
Igreja da
Consolação
6
Rua da Consolação 585.
Map
1 C3.
Tel
(011) 3256 5356.
Q
Anhangabaú.
#
7am-8pm.
^
Designed by Maximiliano
Hell, the architect of the
Catedral Metropolitana, the
Igreja da Consolação is a
similar fusion of European
styles. Some of the 19th-
century master Benedito
Calixto's
(see p30)
best
religious paintings adorn the
Blessed Sacrament chapel.
The 1920s interior of Mosteiro São
Bento, with its painted ceiling
Edifício Banespa
9
Rua João Bricola 24.
Map
1 C3.
Tel
(011) 3249 7466.
Centro Cultural
Banco do Brasil
7
Rua Álvares Penteado 112.
Map
1 C3
.
Tel
(011) 3113 3649.
Q
Theatro
Municipal
5
Praça Ramos de Azevedo.
Map
1 C2.
Tel
(011) 3397 0300.
Q
Q
São Bento.
#
10am-5pm Mon-Fri.
São Bento/Anhangabaú.
The best panoramic view of
São Paulo is from the observ-
ation deck on the 36th floor
of the Edifício Banespa - a
miniature version of New
York's Empire State Building.
Built in 1939, the building
was inaugurated in 1947.
Every morning, a helicopter
hovers through the thick
smog to report on traffic
conditions from here. Blocks
of high-rise concrete towers
crowd together as far as the
eye can see, but the wonder
of São Paulo is captured
around late afternoon, when
the lights start coming on in
all the high-rises and the city
takes on a different life.
#
10am-9pm Tue-Sat, 10am-8pm
Sun.
Anhangabaú.
^
^
www
.bb.com.br/cultura
Located near the Parque
Anhangabaú, São Paulo's
largest central park with some
pretty fountains, the Theatro
Municipal overlooks the Praça
Ramos. The theater is one of
the continent's most important
venues, hosting a busy
program of events. Opera and
theater were very popular
among the elite in turn-of-the-
19th-century São Paulo and
Rio de Janeiro. The theater
was modeled on the Paris
Opera and the city waited in
fevered anticipation for its
This early 20th-century
building with a lovely Art
Deco glass ceiling was once
the Bank of Brazil. It now
houses the Centro Cultural
Banco do Brasil. Inside,
there are a series of spaces
devoted to showing
contemporary arts - from
photography, installation
works, and fine art to cinema
and theater. The exhibition
spaces are contained within
the bank's original vaults,
some of which retain their
massive iron doors.
