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The drive to OURO PRETO , 100km southeast of Belo Horizonte, begins
unpromisingly with endless industrial complexes and favelas spread over
the hills, but in its later stretches becomes spectacular, winding around
hill country 1000m above sea level and passing several valleys where
patches of forest survive: imagine the entire landscape covered with
it and you have an idea of what greeted the gold-seekers in the 1690s.
On arrival, the first thing that strikes you is how small the town is,
considering that until 1897 it was the capital of Minas - its population
is still only around 65,000. That said, you can see at a glance why
the capital had to be shifted to Belo Horizonte: the steep hills the
town is built around, straddling a network of creeks, severely limit
space for expansion. Today, the hills and vertiginous streets (some
so steep they have steps rather than pavements) are vital ingredients
in what is one of the loveliest towns in Brazil, an almost unspoilt
eighteenth-century jewel.
Avoid coming on Monday if you want to see the sights, as all the churches
and most of the museums close for the day. Also, buy your onward ticket
as soon as you arrive as buses fill up quickly. Some people complain
about Ouro Preto being touristy - and it is more commercialized than
any other cidade historica - but they miss the point: it's precisely
because there really is something to savour here that the visitors come.
If you have the time, aim to spend at least a night or two in Ouro Preto
so that you can enjoy the city after all the day-trippers have departed.
Ouro Preto has an extremely popular street Carnaval that attracts visitors
from far afield: be sure to reserve accommodation long in advance. Likewise,
at Easter time, the town becomes the focus of a spectacular series of
plays and processions lasting for about a month before Easter Sunday,
during which the last days of the life of Christ are played out in open-air
theatres throughout the town. The tourist office can supply programmes
and dates or you can get information from TURMINAS and BELOTUR in Belo
Horizonte.
Praca Tiradentes is the best place to start a tour of the
town. First stop should be the tourist office to pick up a map and a
card that gives the latest opening hours of the churches and museums.
The size of the town is deceptive. There's enough to keep you going
for days - thirteen colonial churches, seven chapels, six museums and
several other sights - and if you want to explore in depth you should
buy a copy of the Guia de Ouro Preto by Manoel Bandeira, a useful guidebook
(Portuguese only) that's sold at the tourist office.
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Ouro Preto
