A jazz festival set in a Unesco Heritage site is a truly memorable experience: live music, amazing architecture and the atmosphere that only the Brazilian public can offer - engaging even for those who are not big fans of jazz.
This yearly festival happens every September, and fills the hilly and winding streets of this remarkable town with music from around the world.
www.tudoejazz.com.br/
+55 31 3221-4173
Google map: bit.ly/kDsKgO
Minas is famous for its excellent cachaças (if you haven't tasted cachaça yet, think of it as a Brazilian rum, distilled from sugar cane). The Bar do Beco Cachaçaria is a snug spot just downhill from Praça Tiradentes, and offers an excellent selection of delicious mixed drinks with cachaça.
Go down the main street, lined with restaurants, leading off Praça Tiradentes, and the Beco (alley) is on your left, with the Cachaçaria a few steps up on your left.
Mariana, another baroque city worth a visit, can boast of the presence of the only organ by German baroque builder Arp Schitger to be found in the Americas (housed in the Mariana Cathedral). The organ is in playing condition and is usually heard in concerts on Fridays and Sundays.
Mariana is a half-hour bus ride away down a spectacular river valley.
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