Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
colours of his adopted homeland. Look out especially for the vibrant jungle green of
Boy with Gecko
and the interracial
Encounter
, an early and sensitive treatment of a
complex Brazilian theme.
Museu Paulista
Parque da Independência (entrance on Av Nazaré at Rua dos Patriotas • Tues-Sun 9am-5pm • R$6 •
W
mp.usp.br •
M
Ipiranga
In the southern section of the
Parque da Independência
, in the
bairro
of Ipiranga, the
Museu Paulista
(aka Museu do Ipiranga) was closed for repairs at last check, but when
open is worthwhile for anyone with an interest in Brazilian history; the museum is
especially strong on the nineteenth century, featuring many paintings, pieces of
furniture and other items that belonged to the Brazilian royal family. The park is also
significant as the site where, in 1822, Brazilian independence was declared; in the
northern half of the park is a monument celebrating the event - a replica of the Casa
do Grito, the simple house where Dom Pedro I slept - and the chapel where he and
his wife were later buried.
Butantã and Morumbi
If you've got the time, it's worth making the trek out to the
bairros
of
Butantã
and
Morumbi
, in southwest São Paulo. No houses from the colonial era remain standing in
the city centre, but out here in the suburbs a few simple, whitewashed adobe
homesteads
from the time of the
bandeirantes
have been preserved.
8
Casa do Bandeirante
Praça Monteiro Lobato, Butantã • Currently close for updating - call or check website for details •
T
11 3031 0920,
W
www.museudacidade.sp.gov.br/casadobandeirante.php
he
Casa do Bandeirante
, near the huge Universidade de São Paulo campus, is the only
one of Butantã's
bandeirante
homesteads that is open to the public (although closed at
last check for upgrading). It's a typical early eighteenth-century
paulista
dwelling
containing period furniture and farm implements. This part of Butantã, where many
of the university teaching staff live, is extremely pleasant to wander around - tasteful
hammock-slung little houses are set amid lush foliage noisy with birdsong and cicadas.
Fundação Maria Luiza e Oscar Americano
Av Morumbi 4077 • Tues-Sun 10am-5.30pm • R$10 •
T
11 3742 0077,
W
fundacaooscaramericano.org.br
Situated in the elegant suburb of Morumbi, the
Fundação Maria Luiza e Oscar
Americano
is a sprawling modernist house full of eighteenth-century furniture,
tapestries, religious sculptures and collections of silver, china, coins and tapestry.
Among the most valuable works are Brazilian landscapes by the seventeenth-century
Dutch artist Frans Post, and drawings and important paintings by Cândido Portinari
and Emiliano di Cavalcanti. The hilltop house, designed by Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, is
clearly influenced by the work of the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and the
beautiful wooded estate, which mainly features flora native to Brazil, helps make this
spot an excellent escape from the city.
Parque do Estado
Near Congonhas airport • Jardim Botânico: Tues-Sun 9am-5pm • R$5 •
T
11 5067 6000,
W
ibot.sp.gov.br •
M
Jabaquara, then there is a
connecting shuttle bus
South of the city centre is the largest expanse of greenery within the city: the
Parque do
Estado
. The park features an extent of Mata Atlântica (the Atlantic Rainforest), with
trails and picnic areas. The other big attraction of the park is the
Jardim Botânico
, next
to the zoo, featuring both native and exotic flora; its “garden of the senses” comprises
plants with unusual textures and heavy scents.
