circuits: destination sao paulo

SAO PAULO

Entertainment:

Sao Paulo City never sleeps. There you can find from gyms to bookstores opened 24 hours a day. This city also provides its visitors with hundreds of movie theatres, thousands of restaurants, stores, bars, and pubs. The city's commerce is very vibrant. There are 32 malls, countless department stores, and designer boutiques (such as Versace, Forum, Daslu, H.Stern, Chanel, Rauph Lauren, Armani, etc.). There are also several street fairs, and art exhibits throughout the city.


Ibirapuera Park:

Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and landscape artist Burle Marx, Ibirapuera is one of Sao Paulo's largest parks. Several international art fairs, and exhibits take place there (at the Bienal building). A planetarium, museums, lakes, and a huge sports complex, (along with restaurants and beaultiful gardens), make this park a place you must go. Sao Paulo holds some of the world's largest automobile, and computer fairs. Shows and plays can be seen every day of the week in of the city's many theatres. There are several amusement parks in the city, Playcenter is the largest among them. 

 

The Masp Museum:

With one of the finest art collections not only in Brazil, but in South America, this museum displays a substantial collection of both European and Brazilian art from antiquity to the present day. Works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Raphael are among the amazing exhibitions of art.

 

 

Pinacoteca Museum:

This wonderful museum was renovated in 1997, and during that time many internal walls and some roofing was removed, being replaced with big open spaces and a lattice work of glass, connected by a series of elevated walkways. It is a fantastic display of 19th and 20th century Brazilian art, plus Brazilian sculpture, a real treat.

Adjacent to the Pinacoteca, the Parque da Luz is well worth a look. Inaugurated in 1825 as the city's botanical garden, the garden was then located outside of the city limits, and locals at the time wondered whether it was wise to set aside such a large piece of land. Nowadays the park's lovely old trees contrast with the modern sculptures from the archives of the Pinacoteca that dot the park's walkways.


Ipiranga Imperial Museum (Museu Paulista):

Built on the spot where Brazilian Independence was born, this European style muesuem has a neoclassical design with well manicured gardens out front and a botanical garden at the rear.  The focus is on Brazilian art, and some exhibits tell the story of Sao Paulo, including photo exhibits. One of Brazil's most famous paintings a canvas by Pedro Americo known as Independence or death hangs in the grand salon.

Municipal Theatre:

Mainly conceived to be a venue for the opera, the Municipal Theatre had been idealized since 1895. It was intended to be one of the best theatre houses in the world, in the heart of "Morro do Cha" (Tea Hill).

However, before the foundation stone was laid, it was necessary to overcome the political wrangles of the young republic. There were those who criticized the enterprise, claiming that the huge resources to be invested could be better spent on the building of hospitals, for instance.

After this phase had been overcome, the works started on June 5th, 1903. Francisco Ramos de Azevedo´s Office was in charge of the construction, which relied on the assistance of the Italian architects Claudio Rossi and Domiziano Rossi. For nine years, they had remained in intense contact with big companies in the world bringing decorative elements to Sao Paulo, which are still present in its architecture today.

Similar to other buildings of the time in Sao Paulo, the Municipal Theatre has an architecture marked by the eclectic style. Externally it is renaissance. Internally the Theatre breaths Art Noveau. The stage and the gallery are in the baroque style.

Since its inception Sao Paulo´s Municipal Theatre has taken an outstanding place in the cultural scene of the City. It centralized countless cultural demonstrations, among them the Semana de Arte Moderna ("Week of Modern Art") in 1922 presentations by famous artists such as Nijinski, Isadora Duncan, Victorio de Sica, Vivian Leigh, Bidu Saiao, Toscanini, Maria Callas, Caruso, Miles Davis and many others.

Over the years, the Municipal Theatre has also undergone changes in order to guarantee higher quality in the realization of performances; new technical devices were implemented and it has been improved to allow incredible stage-setting techniques, which allows it to hold a great variety of events. 

 

Nightlife:

This city knows how to party! Most Paulistas won't set out to clubs before midnight, so if you find yourself in the Vila Olimpia (the city's main night-time neighbourhood) in the early hours it could be busier than you think. The area is packed with bars and clubs, and it's always busy, seven nights a week!

 

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