Petrópolis (1a)


Source: Insight Guides: Brazil, p. 168.
Comment: To get to Petrópolis from Rio de Janeiro, take highway 040 north 65 km. Interestingly, the region of Petrópolis was explored by the Portuguese colonialist Bernardo Soares de Proença in 1720 when he was searching for an alternative route between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. While traveling to Minas Gerais along this new route, Emperor Pedro I discovered how nice this region's climate was, so he bought a huge tract of land in 1830 and began building his Summer Palace there.