Culture with an accent

Curitiba received the title of the American Capital of Culture from the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2003. The title crowned a concern of the state of Paraná in promoting and disseminating its cultural production, to give visibility to the city.

This approach is reflected in the design of some attractions such as Alemão Forest and Oscar Niemeyer Museum.

Alemão Forest pays tribute to German immigration in the state and to some of its prominent cultural personalities such as the composers Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, honored by the beautiful concert hall in the middle of the grass. Authors of children's fairy tales, the Grimm brothers are also remembered through the Hansel and Gretel trail, based on one of their most famous tale. Alemão Forest has 38,000 square meters of native forest and a neo-Gothic Presbyterian Church and a children's library.

Nearby is the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, designed by himself, one of the greatest modernist architects of all time, responsible, for example, for the most monuments in the country's capital, Brasilia.

The Museum is a dedicated entirely to the visual arts, architecture, urbanism and design, and it brings together works and exhibitions of Brazilian and foreign artists, such as Tarsila do Amaral, Di Cavalcanti, Tomie Ohtake, Andy Warhol, Cândido Portinari, Francisco Brennand, Caribé, Theodoro in Bonn. A tour that cannot be missed!

Be sure to visit Santa Felicidade neighborhood at night and have dinner in one of its delicious Italian restaurants.

Arame Opera House is one of the famous spot in Curitiba. Its tubular structure and transparent ceiling attract people's attention.

The Opera House has a capacity of 1,600 spectators (No arquivo Atracoes_parte2 (Marina), consta 2.400 espectadores) which cross a metal bridge over a small lake that surrounds the theater to watch dances and music shows from local and international artists. Check the Arame Opera House schedule and try to watch one of the shows that occur there.

The Opera House is part of the Pedreiras Park that also houses the Pedreira Paulo Leminski, a large outdoor amphitheater capable of accommodating 30,000 spectators. Even when there are no shows; the complex is worth a visit.

You can walk from there to the Tanguá Park, 450 thousand square meters park full of nature and attractions, such as two quarries connected by a 45 meters length tunnel which can be crossed on foot, by a walkway over the water. At the top is the Poty Lazzarotto Garden, where you can enjoy a beautiful small waterfall, a large French style garden and 65 meters high lookout, with an incredible view of the lake.

After checking all spots, it is a good to go for a bike ride. Curitiba has several bike paths that allow you to know the city from a different angle, under two wheels.

“Deu pra ti, baixo astral / Vou pra Porto Alegre, tchau!” - Famous Brazilian song by the duo Kleiton and Kledir from the state of Rio Grande do Sul that simply says: if you feel sad, go to the city of Porto Alegre.

Mysticisms and jokes aside, anyone who visits the capital of Rio Grande do Sul has many reasons to be happy. One of these good vibes is the Farroupilha Park or Redenção Park. Listed as Cultural Landscape Heritage and World Heritage in 1997, the park has 37.5 hectares filled with gardens, multi-sports courts and running, skating and roller skating tracks.

During the weekend, there is a handicraft and organic products fair with hundreds of tents. The place is also great for picnics and to drink a good cup of mate, hot drink water and yerba mate.

You can walk from the park to the renaissance style Metropolitana Cathedral. Its mosaics represent the church history in the state and its crystals reflect about 10,000 colors. Inside, the 65 meters high dome draws attention and is a marvel.

Porto Alegre is the southernmost capital in Brazil, but its culture spreads throughout the country, by music, literature and, of course, by its traditional barbecue. You have a lot of great resturants to have a barbecue.

However, before having your meal, let's walk through the historical center. There are a lot of attractions to see. Our tour itinerary starts at the Mercado Público (Public Market), where you can find everything such as spices, fruits, meat and herbs to mate, of course.

Then, we go to the City Hall, housed in a beautiful eclectic style historical building. From there, we walk to Santander Cultural, another historical building that houses interesting free admission exhibitions.

Nearby is the Alfândega Square where is the Rio Grande do Sul Memorial. The place used to be Post Office building and now, it tells the story of the state and its artists such as Bento Gonçalves, Luís Carlos Prestes, Érico Veríssimo and Elis Regina.

The Mário Quintana Cultural House is a tribute to one of the greatest poets in Rio Grande do Sul. It is located at the old Majestic Hotel where the poet used to live until 1980. After his death, the place changed into a cultural center with a movie theater, theater, concerts and exhibitions, as well as a library, a nightclub and a mezzanine where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the region.

Continuing along Rua dos Andradas, known as Rua da Praia (Beach Street - although there is no beach), we arrived at Usina do Gasômetro (Gasômetro Plant), which used to work as thermometric plant and it was changed into a cultural center. In the impressing building, there are movie theater, theater, exhibition halls and auditoriums. It is in the Guaíba River banks and it is highly recommended to watch the sunset.