Florianópolis - Brazilian paradise

Natural paradise

Only a small part of Floripa (1,210 km²) is on the mainland, the rest of the city is mainly located on the 424.4 km² island. The island is called Santa Catarina and is famous for its natural scenery as beautiful as a fairyland. On the island there are up to 100 large and small beaches, not to mention other attractions such as lakes, lagoons, waterfalls, mountains, forests...

A view of Florianópolis from above.

Floripa has a population of just over 500,000, but during the peak summer season, over 1 million tourists flock to this city. However, to avoid the harsh summer sun, smart travelers can choose to visit Floripa during the rainy season from December to March of the following year.

The beaches of Jurerê, Daniela, Canasvieiras, Brava and Ingleses in the north of the island have long white sand beaches and receive sunshine almost all year round, very suitable for tourists who want to swim, sunbathe, jog... On the contrary, the beaches in the southwest of the island such as Joaquina, Mole, Moçambique, Campeche, Armação and Morro das Pedras are the "arenas" for organizing beach sports . Surfers and paragliders highly appreciate the quality of waves and wind at the above beaches. Tourists should not miss scuba diving to explore the coral reef ecosystem at these beaches.

At the southern tip of Santa Catarina Island are the most deserted and pristine beaches such as Lagoinha do Leste and Naufragados. Tourists who love walking and exploring nature often choose to trek through the forest to reach the above beaches. The most popular itinerary is the Trilha da Costa da Lagoa tour. The trail connects several fishing villages and passes through some extremely poetic forests and waterfalls, especially the Lagoa da Conceição lagoon. Even when Brazil was a Portuguese colony, Europeans recognized the beauty of Lagoa da Conceição and built many resort villas on the shores of the lagoon.

Lagoa da Conceição also boasts two natural parks. To the north is Rio Vermelho Park, and to the south is Dunas da Lagoa da Conceição Park. The two parks are famous for their natural diversity. For example, Rio Vermelho Park has more than 169 species of plants, 150 species of insects and 37 species of birds living together in an area of 1532 hectares. Visitors to the two natural parks often choose to take a boat to explore the swamps and brackish forests here.

Interesting city

The downtown area of Florianópolis has many interesting destinations waiting for visitors. The “heart” of the city is Praça XV square, where the most famous buildings are located, such as the Metropolitana de Florianópolis Cathedral. This church was inaugurated in 1773 and has undergone many renovations. Although there are many larger churches in Brazil, anyone who comes to the Metropolitana Cathedral must look up at the two extremely prominent bell towers. The cathedral is also famous for owning a magnificent pipe organ and a collection of wooden statues by sculptor Ferdinand Demetz (1902 - 1942).

Also located next to Praça XV is the Palácio Cruz e Sousa museum. This building was originally a villa for the governor of Santa Catarina state, built under the governor José da Silva Paes (1679 - 1760). Many great figures in Brazilian history visited and stayed here, including two emperors, Pedro I (1798 - 1834) and Pedro II (1825 - 1891). The building was later renovated into a museum and named after the poet João da Cruz e Sousa (1861 - 1898), a son of Santa Catarina. Visitors to the Cruz e Sousa museum have the opportunity to admire a huge collection of Santa Catarina with artifacts from prehistoric to modern times.

Santa Catarina cuisine has been heavily influenced by immigrants from the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. The local dishes you can find in Florianópolis combine western Portuguese cooking methods with locally produced seafood and produce. Florianópolis is particularly famous for its mullet dishes. During the mullet migration season, the city is filled with the smell of grilled fish. Grilled fish stalls are everywhere, and diners sit on the sidewalks to enjoy skewers of fish with a few cold beers.

The Florianópolis Carnival is not as grand as the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, but it has recently grown in both size and quality. Today, not only local dance teams but also many units from all over Brazil participate in the Florianópolis Carnival parade. The parade is also a competition of samba teams, and people set up parties on every street corner to witness the competition. The Carnival also organizes many other large and small events, of which the Florianópolis Gay Carnival is the event that is attracting a lot of attention. The Florianópolis Gay Carnival is a festival dedicated to the LGBT community and includes a series of events such as music festivals, parades, beauty pageants, etc.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/florianopolis-thien-duong-brazil-701241.html