Espírito
Santo , a
compact
combination of
mountains and
beaches, is one
of the smallest
states in Brazil
(with a
population of
only 2.6 million),
but as Minas
Gerais' main
outlet to the
sea it is
strategically
very important.
More iron ore is
exported through
its capital,
Vitória ,
than any other
port in the
world. Not
surprisingly the
preponderance of
docks, rail
yards and
smelters limits
the city's
tourist
potential,
despite a fine
natural
location. To a
mineiro,
Espírito Santo
means only one
thing:
beaches .
The coastline is
basically one
long beach, some
400km in length
and, during
weekends and
holiday seasons,
people flock to
take the waters,
tending to
concentrate on
the stretch
immediately
south of Vitória,
especially the
large resort
town of
Guarapari .
The best beaches,
however, lie on
the strip of
coastline 50km
south of
Guarapari.
The
hinterland of
Vitória, far
less visited, is
exceptionally
beautiful, a
spectacular mix
of lush forest,
river valleys,
mountains and
granite hills.
It's here that
the state's real
pleasures lie.
The soils of
this central
belt are fertile,
and since the
latter part of
the nineteenth
century the area
has been
colonized by
successive waves
of Italians,
Poles and
Germans. Their
descendants live
in hillside
homesteads and a
number of small,
very attractive
country towns
which combine a
European feel
and look with a
thoroughly
tropical
landscape. If it
weren't for the
heat and the
hummingbirds
darting around,
you might
imagine yourself
somewhere in
Switzerland. The
best way to view
the region is to
make the round
of these towns:
Santa Teresa
, Santa
Leopoldina ,
Santa Maria
, Domingos
Martins and
Venda Nova
- the last near
the remarkable
sheer granite
face of Pedra
Azul , one
of the least-known
but most
spectacular
sights in the
country. All are
easy to get to
from Vitória,
not more than a
couple of hours
over good roads,
with frequent
buses. Around
the towns, the
lack of mineral
deposits and the
sheer logistical
difficulties in
penetrating such
a hilly area
have preserved
huge chunks of
the Mata
Atlântica ,
the lush semi-deciduous
forest that once
covered all the
coastal parts of
southern Brazil.
Credit should
also go to the
local Indians,
notably the
Botocudo, whose
dedicated
resistance
pinned the
Portuguese down
throughout the
colonial period.
