São Pedro da Serra is a jewel! By strolling along the main street a cenographic image comes to my mind! It looks like one of those Brazilian Soap Operas. Step by step you start seeing pictures in which the collors of the village typical Arquitecture match perfectly with Nature all around, like framed in a beautiful photo! It looks like Barbie’s House!
One day we entered one of the city’s amazing restaurants and see, sitting by the window, the beautiful female journalist, presentator and “anchor” of Jornal Nacional, the main Brazilian TV News Program! Beautiful as in a shop window!
In another day, we go visit a friend, a Lawyer.., and surprinsingly we discover a beautiful atelier with an assembly line for “Rabeccas” and amazing paintings, artcrafts for an Exposition. A “Private Collection”! Artists, writers, musicians, wealthy retired people from the big city.. slowly moving to the area, looking for a simpler life and life quality! Closer to Nature!
By driving up the mountain for lunch in a rustic cottage, we find a beautiful natural swimming pool at the top, framed by demolition (re-used) wood! Perfect harmony with Nature! The food has excellent rates (costs around u$ 8,00) and is delicious!
The village has around 4000 inhabitants and has famliiar Agrobusiness and Tourism as main activities. Visitors are mostly from the Brazilian big cities. You hardly see international tourists. The village is basically made of one main street (about 1000m long) with bars, restaurants and beautiful constructions along the way. And the Pousadas around, most of them inside of or facing the Atlantic Rainforest! Nature is everywhere!
Departing (sometimes by 4×4 wheel vehicles, other times, walking) from the village, we reach the many attractions in the region. Waterfalls, Lumiar (the town, 6Km “downhill”) and its nice restaurants; the other villages around.., beautiful plantations, small farms and a lot of Nature! Splendid Landscape!
Strongly reccommended is a walk from São Pedro to Bocaina (the next Village, about 1000m from São Pedro). A typically Brazilian village, with tipical European “flair”! Brazilian for the criativity, improvisation and transformation power in material recycling and re-usage. European in its structure, Architecture and in some faces. It kind of reminds me of Europe, last Century, 50 years ago! It offers a great opportunity for someone from a big city to experience life in the countryside!
The Energy!
Another interesting factor is the Energy that “comes out” of “this land”. The “Mountain Energy”! Maybe for the fact there is water passing by all around (there are a couple of rivers that pass by and meet in the area), the places seem to be slightly “energized”. You feel there is something different in the air around here! For those interested in Spirituality, there are some Healing Centers and “Refuges” located in the area. Bio-Food (Organic Food) is also a must here! Healthy, delicious and beautiful. Trout, mushrooms, green salad, tomatoes and the original manioc Pizza, are some of the “atractions”. Music is going on most of the time, in the bars or at the main square.
São Pedro da Serra is located around 165Km from Rio de Janeiro, and 110Km away from Búzios (a combination with Rio/SPedro/Buzios or v.v. is perfect). The distance to Lumiar is 6Km and to Nova Friburgo, 36Km. It is located around 850m above sealevel! Temperature can go to 8C at night during winter. It is nice along the day (20C) and most of winter days are bright sunny days!
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