Each country has its strengths in tourism, and there you choose to avoid these places to conduct their holidays in places to discover where, in addition, we can find cheap hotels. Brazil has been a long beach destination, and thus has many popularly crowded places. But north of Rio de Janeiro, there is a state not as widespread but not competitive with other beach. This is a dream scenario, offering ecotourism and Italian colonies, Austrian and other European countries, in addition to imposing Pedra Azul State Park.

In Vitória, the proposals are endless and varied, for example, when night begins to feel the movement of Brazilian folk music. Everything is illuminated so colorful and the best place to see it is from the Ilha do Boi, a small island which is opposite a residential district of Vitoria, capital of Espirito Santo state north of Rio de Janeiro to reserve more than one surprise even for visitors who are familiar pose Brazil.

Vitória, was located on an island that separates the sea from a lagoon as an internal bay. On that island is the capital and on the other side is the imposing bridge Terceira, is Vila Velha, neighboring county with which it forms one big conglomeration.

The origin of Vitória has landmark status by the year 1600 when the settlers chose to move to the island to defend itself against incursions by French pirates, Dutchmen and Englishmen who were played off the coast of Brazil for a few years of the sixteenth century.

From Ilha do Boi, Vitória has the air of metropolis and its outline is drawn with elegant towers of modern forms. But it is rather tiny, but at Brazil. Together with its suburbs and Vila Velha, these add up to a million inhabitants.

A 140 km away, is Cachoeiro that is in an area of mountains, similar to the Pedra Azul State Park, an area that is opening up to tourism with a circuit of rural enterprises. The blue stone which gave the park its name, is actually a giant boulder of gneiss which dominates the mass of changing color depending on the hour throughout the region in villages as: Domingos Martins and Venda Nova do Imigrante.

Vitória and Vila Velha complement each other perfectly, they are reminiscent of the colony that was originally devoted to growing cereals. Particularly in Vitória, you have a tiny mall that has a strong footprint in Portugal. Around the central square a few steps up the slopes and remember to Lisbon.

What is the greatest cultural icon of the city is totally different inspiration, this is the Carlos Gomes Theater, which was designed and built by an Italian immigrant. It is located just on the side of the central plaza and was inspired by La Scala in Milan.

The architectural attractions are not lacking here, the city’s historic buildings are concentrated in the southern part of the island. Near the theater, palaces Anchieta and Domingos Martins are two witnesses of the colonial era. Anchieta Palace was built by the Jesuits in the sixteenth century and then went on to host the state government of Espirito Santo. For its part, Domingos Martins Palace was built in 1606, and after having long been the seat of the legislative branch is now the House of Citizens of Vitória.

Religious art also has its place, nothing better than to visit the Convento da Penha, on a hill along the coast, in Vila Velha, not only because it offers a spectacular view over the city and Vitória, from across the arm of the sea but by the exuberance of his little chapel, full of sacred works.

From the viewing deck of the convent can be seen, protruding from between the low houses of Vila Velha, the yellow mass of Garoto chocolate factory. The sweet tooth may already be aware, but for others it is probably a surprise to find there with the headquarters of Brazil’s most famous chocolates. In addition to take photos and make purchases in the business of the factory, you can witness the manufacturing processes of products of this emporium, which started very modestly, when German immigrant Heinrich Meyerfreund ran for homemade sweets in 1929.

Another attraction of Vitória is its proximity to the mountains, because in just two hours passed to the tropical beaches to an area of about 1500 meters high, with much cooler temperatures throughout the year. The Blue Stone Park area is a real surprise in these latitudes. It looks like a transplanted Alps region and cultivated with coffee, bananas and other tropical plants. The small cities of Domingos Martins and Venda Nova do Imigrante are so neat and manicured as in Switzerland and Austria. It is no coincidence, since the region was settled primarily by Europeans Alpine: Swiss, Italians, Austrians and Germans.

Many of these families who were farmers for a couple of generations now formed a circuit of agritourism along a route that meanders at the foot of the imposing mass of the Pedra Azul. The mountain is 1882 meters, and provides a geographical oddity, like a piece of the moon, mineral and monolithic fallen amid the lush green valleys of the region, where it is grown all through the mercy of weather and abundant rainfall.

See you in Brazil…