I have just been reading Alex Bellos in The Guardian – writing about the lovely, lilting language that is Brazilian Portuguese. Alex is author of Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, a book I highly recommend, even to those like me who can't see anything beautiful about the game of football.
Rio’s striking green hills stretching right across the city are just one feature of its extraordinary geography. Sitting atop these morros (hills) are some of Rio’s most alluring sights, including the Cristo Redentor statue crowning the Corcovado mountain – one of the new wonders of the modern world. The charming hilltop neighbourhood of Santa Teresa with its enticing craft shops and restaurants, and the beautiful, sprawling Tijuca Forest are just two other delights to be experienced in this part of Rio.
Most of us think of the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana when we contemplate the cidade maravilhosa (the marvellous city), yet Rio's hinterland is perhaps its most exciting, and unexpected, aspect.
Rio’s striking green hills stretching right across the city are just one feature of its extraordinary geography. Sitting atop these morros (hills) are some of Rio’s most alluring sights, including the Cristo Redentor statue crowning the Corcovado mountain – one of the new wonders of the modern world. The charming hilltop neighbourhood of Santa Teresa with its enticing craft shops and restaurants, and the beautiful, sprawling Tijuca Forest are just two other delights to be experienced in this part of Rio.
The journey up (or down) the city’s vertiginous hills can be as enjoyable as the sights themselves. The ascent to see Cristo Redentor is one of the most memorable in Rio, particularly if you ride the little cog railway up the densely forested mountain. Santa Teresa’s little yellow bonde (tram) is a lovely, historic way to reach the unique bohemian enclave. While the spectacular national park of Tijuca is best explored by car and foot, the adventurous can choose to hang-glide all the way down to the beach.
All these vantage points offer breathtaking, birds-eye views of the rest of the city. Mirantes (view points) dot the Tijuca national park and the vista from Cristo Redentor encompasses the whole of Rio – all the way from the historic centre to the sands of the southern beaches. Plenty of spots, including the Parque das Ruinas Cultural Centre in Santa Teresa, offer a 360 degree panorama of the ‘marvellous city’ as it is so often justly called by its residents.
From the 16th century, people settled in the desirable neighbourhoods of Santa Teresa and Tijuca because these high green enclaves provided cool retreats away from the heat down below – and still do. Some of the residences belonging to royalty and the wealthy, including the parks and palaces of Lanjeiras, still remain and today function as fascinating reminders of the rich history of the area. However, by the 19th century, richer residents wanted to live in the lower parts of the city, which could more easily be connected to services such as electricity and water.
From the 16th century, people settled in the desirable neighbourhoods of Santa Teresa and Tijuca because these high green enclaves provided cool retreats away from the heat down below – and still do. Some of the residences belonging to royalty and the wealthy, including the parks and palaces of Lanjeiras, still remain and today function as fascinating reminders of the rich history of the area. However, by the 19th century, richer residents wanted to live in the lower parts of the city, which could more easily be connected to services such as electricity and water.
Today, many of Rio’s modern hilltop communities are favelas - often translated as 'slums' but this is an insult to the communities that live there. When the rich had evacuated the hills, new arrivals to Rio in search of work built makeshift houses that clinged to the mountainsides - on the only land they could get near to their job opportunities. One example is Rocinha and, while culturally fascinating and vibrant, it is not to be visited alone. Yet those who live in the favelas today enjoy some of the best views in Rio, and a real sense of community spirit.
This extract was taken from the Michelin Green Guide to Rio, which I wrote in 2009. I am also author of Thomas Cook's Travellers: Brazil and have contributed to Footprint's guide to Brazil. I am currently writing the AA Spiral guide to Brazil and the Essential Spiral Rio guide.
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