Last August, we went to Minas Gerais with our school and we visited Mariana, Tiradentes, Congonhas do Campo and Ouro Preto which was one of the richest and most important city in Brazil during the 17th and 18th centuries. These cities are famous tourist points. We visited a lot of churches and mines of gold. There we saw many sculptures and paitings of one of the most incredible artist of his time: Aleijadinho.



Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto is in Minas Gerais, and it is located in the southeast,  bordering São Paulo on the south. It takes eight to ten hours if you go by bus (800Km), and if you go by plane it will take one hour and a half to arrive.



Map of Minas Gerais

In Minas Gerais the weather can vary. In the morning it is a little bit cold, but in the afternoon it is hot. At night,it is cold and you have to wear a heavy coat.

Ouro Preto

 Minas Gerais is a historical city, so you have a lot of churches  and museums to see. When we were there, we visited a lot of churches: São Francisco de Asis, Churches of Pilar, Bom Jesus do Matosinho, Matriz de Tiradentes, Nossa Senhora do Carmo. A lot of museums: Inconfidencia Mineira, Casa dos Contos.. You have a lot of mines of gold to visit too, mines like Chico Rei and Vale. There we visited a woman who told us different stories of Minas Gerais, and we visited an important man, who everybody knows, Tião Painera, a ceramist. 



Chico Rei Mine

 

Museum of Inconfidencia

Pilar Church

Bom Jesus do Matosinho Church

Casa dos Contos



São Francisco Church



Vale do rio Doce mine

Tião Painera

When you go to Minas Gerais there are a lot of hotels and inns for you to stay. But you have to look very well for a good option. We stayed in Hotel Providência in Mariana, and in Tiradentes we stayed in Pouso das Gerais. You have to see if the price is good and if it is in a nice location.

Hotel Providencia

Pouso das Gerais

There are lots of good restaurants like Casa dos Contos which is very good and very important. Everybody who goes to Minas Gerais eats there because it is very famous and has a very good and delicious food. You need to eat a sweet made of milk, and bread made with cheese. It's the best food you can try.



Bread with cheese



Diferents kinds of food



Sweet of Milk

When you go to Minas Gerais you have to take hot and cold clothes. To visit some churches you have to wear pants and to visit Vale do Rio Doce you need to wear pants, a blouse with long sleeve and some tennis shoe. The most suitable to wear when visiting the mines are boots.

You can go to Minas Gerais by airplane, car or bus. By car and by bus it takes a long time. If you take a plane  you will land in Confins Airport that is in Belo Horizonte.

Airplane



Bus

          

We recommend you to take a jacket for the nights, and you don't have to wear fancy clothes, everytime you should wear comfortable clothes.

I don’t know how to choose ONE best moment, because we had lots, but visiting Tião Painera is a MUST. That man is incredible. His stories are something wonderful. He makes poterry, and he is very famous for that.