Diamantina Destination Guide

Given its natural topography, one obvious adventure activity here is rock climbing. Since the rocks are very porous, you don't need much climbing gear.

If you like unwinding with a bit of music, you can relax with local bands (Vesperatas) playing traditional music. In fact if you are there April to October, you can catch these events every fortnight at the classic Quintada Street.

Carnival time in Diamantina means celebrations all through the day. There are parades passing through the town all day long, with people thronging the streets to catch a glimpse, eat, drink and be merry. Compared to Rio's carnival, this is not as elaborate but the atmosphere is electrifying. The carnival can sometimes start Friday night and can carry on till Wednesday morning.

Close to the main church square, bands perform live Brazilian music on a stage from 3 or 4pm to 8am. You can join the party at will and you wouldn't miss out on any fun. Also check out the market square.

Diamantina has numerous picturesque churches built in the typical Minas Gerais Baroque style, the Barroco Mineiro. What's glorious about this is the amount of gold decoration that shines through the interiors reflecting the prosperity of this town when these churches were actually built.

The most affluent and magnificent church in Diamantina, Igreja Nossa Senhora do Carmo, was erected between 1760 and 1765. It has a beautiful organ with 600 lead plated pipes. Uniquely enough, this church has its bell tower to the back. This was done intentionally so that Chica da Silva would not be woken up by the loud chiming. Her lover João Fernandes de Oliveira financed the building works of this church.

Address - Rua do Rosário.
Open - Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 am to 12.00 noon and 2 pm to 6 pm; Sundays 9.00 am to 12.00 noon.

Amongst the oldest churches here is Igreja Nossa Senhora do Rosário. Built in 1731, it was used as a place of worship by slaves and former slaves. It has a magnificent rococo exterior.

Address - Largo do Rosário.
Open: Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9.00 am to 12.00 noon and 2 pm to 6 pm; Sundays 9.00 am to 12.00 noon.

Another beautiful church in the Minas Gerais Baroque style is Igreja de São Francisco. Built between 1766 and 1772, it is worth a visit.

Address - Rua São Francisco
Open - 9.00 am to12.00 noon and 2 pm to 6 pm; Sundays 9.00 am to 12.00 noon.

Compared to the other beautiful churches, this one doesn't stand up as the epitome of perfection, yet is worth a visit. Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio was built in 1940, replacing an old colonial church. The cathedral square is a feast for the eyes and thoroughly enjoyable to walk around. It is lined with sobrados or intricate iron and bronzework imported all the way from Portugal. On close inspection, you will see iron pineapples in the design. The most outstanding are the exquisite windows of the Banco do Brasil building next door.

José de Oliveira e Silva Rolim, a freedom fighter, owned this fantastic building in the 18^th century. He was arrested for his links with the Inconfidência Mineira or freedom movement. Today, there is a beautiful museum in here which displays old mining gadgets and equipment, furniture, mementos and religious artworks. You wouldn't find actual diamonds here though!

This is a building where a former President of Brazil, Juscelino Kubitschek, spent his childhood years. Now open to public, it is worth stopping by. The main market hall is Mercado Velho, which was built in 1835. It hosts the Saturday fair with local crafts and fresh produce on display.

Tijuco Hotel was designed by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer who went on to design famous buildings in Brasilia, the capital city. The hotel looks stunning considering it was one of his early works.

This spacious mansion was once owned by a diamond contractor, João Fernandes de Oliveira. He and his mistress and former slave Chica da Silva lived here between 1755 and 1770. There's a little chapel next to the house. You'll also enjoy visiting the museum that is here in the memory of Chica da Silva.

Casa da Glória is actually a linked house made up of two houses connected by a blue passageway. Built in 1876, this passageway, Passadiço da Glória, best represents Diamantina on post cards. The older of the two buildings belonged to the first bishop, Josefa Maria da Glória and therefore its name was Casa da Glória. The second building was the property of Nossa Senhora das Dores Catholic School. Rumour mills whisper that the walkway was built by nuns to keep the identities of their students under wraps. Today this entire building belongs to the University of Minas Gerais.

Caminho dos Escravos was built by slaves cutting through heavy rocks and weaving through the inhospitable mountains. It runs almost 20km's. The stretch between the villages of Medanha and Tijuco has been carefully restored and is open to tourists. This was the exact route the slaves used to take, carrying bags of diamonds in the 18^th century.

Apart from crystal clear diamonds, Diamantina is famous for its gushing waterfalls. Several of them can be found in this area. Just 7 kilometres from Diamantina is the Cachoeira de Sentinela area where sandy bottomed waterfalls abound. Cachoeira das Fadas falls 25 metres into a natural pool surrounded by lush greenery - a great place to swim. The challenge is that this beautiful spot is located 49 kilometres from Diamantina, of which only 10 kilometres are motor able. Another waterfall, Cachoeira dos Cristais, is close to Diamantina, just 14 kilometres away. It is quite a favourite with the tourists and offers a picturesque pool to take a dip in.

Diamantina's surrounding towns are also stunning - particularly Caminho Real, which is just outside Diamantina and quite a shanty town, but you won't mind paying to see the fascinating churches there.

Diamantina appears on the world heritage list because of its quaint classic European appeal in the heartland of South America and also because of its unique cityscape jutting out of a mountainous terrain; both aspects make Diamantina a fabulous feast for the eyes. The alleys and paths make Diamantina an exciting experience; at every corner is possible to discover a new and uncommon aspect of great cultural value.