Pirenópolis Pirenópolis

Pirenópolis

The charming Pirenópolis, or just Piri, is a welcoming city in the Brazilian state of Goiás, 150-km away from Brasília and 120-km away from Goiânia. Its origin dates back to the discovery of precious metals in the first half of the 18^th century.

The name Pirenópolis comes from the mountains that surround the city. At the time, the area reminded Spanish settlers of the Pyrenees, a range of mountains between Spain and France.

Listed as a historical landmark by the Brazilian National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) since 1989, Pirenópolis houses flamboyant mansions and archaic churches. The city also hosts two religious popular festivities: Cavalhadas and Festa do Divino.

Cultural traditions promoted the development of local craftwork, including silver jewelry and wooden furniture. The city’s activities also include quilt and curtain spinning, as well as clay and stone molding.

Built between 1728 and 1732, the Matriz de Nossa Senhora do Rosário Church Church had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed all of its interior and roof in 2002. Reopen in 2006, it is one of the city’s main landmarks.

Goiás’ unique cuisine also charms visitors from all corners of the world. Influenced by other Brazilian states, such as Bahia and Minas Gerais, the local cuisine features one-of-a-kind delicacies such as the chicken stew with pequi (a typical fruit of the Cerrado region), rice with suã (pork spine), angu (grated and cooked green corn), among several others.

The Colonial-style breakfast spread includes corn bread, fried cookies, cheese bread, couscous and assorted fruit juices, such as cashew, mango and jackfruit.

In Piri, tourists can venture their way into dozens of different waterfalls, take easy hikes through wonderful and diverse natural settings, visit natural preserves or try their hand at radical sports, such as trekking, rappelling, rafting and zipline.