A trip back in time (Minas Gerais)

The next stop on this Brazilian trip was the beautiful town of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais State.
In the 1600s (black) gold was discovered in Minas Gerais and gold fever spread fast, attiring many Brazilians from all the country. Most of the gold was shipped to Portugal but what remained in Minas was used to build beautiful Baroque churches and houses.
Among these colonial cities, Ouro Preto is the most beautiful one and wandering around its hilly cobbled streets was like a trip back in time.

But it was not all about architecture : people were very kind and the food really good. The high-calorie “comida Mineira” has a very good reputation in all the country and tasting the different regional specialties was a must of Ouro Preto. I tried “tutu à mineira” (thick pure of mashed beans with garlic and served with pork, kale and rice) and it was very good but so heavy that sent my stomach out of order for a while and I had to eat salads for the rest of my stay, lol

In Minas I also visited the town of Mariana, only 14km from Ouro Preto. Mariana was the first capital of Minas and has a couple of lovely squares surrounded by nice Baroque architecture. It was nice to see another mineira city.

I was happy to spend some days in Minas Gerais, this area is far from the “Brazil picture” we all have in mind but it is worth a stop on the way to Rio.