Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ARTS, ANTIQUES AND STREET SNACKS IN BELO HORIZONTE
It's worth making an effort to be in Belo Horizonte on a Sunday morning for the
Feira de Arte
e Artesanato
(Sun 8am-2pm;
T
31 3277 4914). One of the best of its kind anywhere in the
country, with buyers and sellers coming from all over Brazil, this massive market takes over the
Avenida Afonso Pena bordering the Parque Municipal. An excellent place for bargains, the
market is split into sections, with related stalls grouped together - jewellery, leather goods,
lace, ceramics, cane furniture, clothes, food, paintings and drinks, to name but a few.
On Saturdays you can visit the
Feira Tom Jobim
(Sat 10am-6pm) - effectively two connected
markets in Santa Efigênia (Av Carandaí between Av Brasil and Rua Ceara) - an antique fair and a
massive street food market. Take bus #9501 from Afonso Pena between Tupis and Espírito Santo.
2
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem
Rua Sergipe 175 • Daily 7am-9pm • Free •
T
31 3222 2361,
W
catedraldaboaviagem.org.br
Just one block west of Avenida Afonso Pena lies the
Igreja Nossa Senhora da Boa
Viagem
, inaugurated in 1922 to mark the centenary of Brazilian independence.
Though the fairytale Neogothic exterior looks fancy, it's rather small for the de facto
cathedral of a major city, and in contrast to Igreja São José (see opposite) the all-white
interior is very plain. By 2015 the city's long-planned new cathedral (designed by Oscar
Niemeyer), the
Catedral Cristo Rei
, should be completed in the northern
neighbourhood of Juliana.
Museu Mineiro
Av João Pinheiro 342 • Tues, Wed & Fri 10am-7pm, Thurs noon-9pm, Sat, Sun & holidays noon-7pm • Free •
T
31 3269 1109,
W
circuitoculturalliberdade.com.br
The tiny but beautifully presented art collections in the
Museu Mineiro
are enhanced by
the elegant Neoclassical building it occupies, completed in 1897 and one of the first in
Belo Horizonte. The building served as the state senate from 1905 to 1930. Today the
Sala das Colunas is a gorgeous space housing a variety of religious statuary, while the Sala
das Sessões (the old senate room), with its rose-hued walls and painted ceiling intact,
displays the work of local painters from the twentieth century (mostly landscapes).
The highlight, however, is the small collection of six vibrant paintings by Minas
Gerais Baroque master
Manuel da Costa Ataíde
(1762-1830) in the “Sala do
Colecionador”; Ataíde is best known for painting the São Francisco church in Ouro
Preto (see p.161). Labels are in Portuguese only. The elegant building next door is the
Arquivo Público Mineiro
, where the state's historical documents are stored.
Centro de Arte Popular
Rua Gonçalves Dias 1608 • Tues, Wed & Fri 10am-7pm, Thurs noon-9pm, Sat & Sun noon-7pm • Free •
T
31 3222 3231,
W
circuitoculturalliberdade.com.br
A lesser-visited treasure trove of high-quality popular or “naïve” art, the
Centro de
Arte Popular
contains several permanent galleries of wooden carvings, sculptures and
artefacts illustrating the rich folk art traditions of Minas Gerais. Most of the work on
display is twentieth century or contemporary (with some English labelling), by masters
such as
Geraldo Teles de Oliveira
(or “GTO”; 1913-90), but also includes ex-votos and
everyday items such as pots and jars. Don't miss the stunning
wall murals
in the garden
at the back, by Brazilian gra
ti artists.
Praça da Liberdade and around
The park-like
Praça da Liberdade
occupies the highest point in the centre of Belo
Horizonte, designed to be the political heart of the new capital in the 1890s. With
