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| Brazil (Belo Horizonte [Minas Gerais]) |
| Pampulha |
| Some distance north of the centre of Belo Horizonte is the luxurious district of Pampulha, built around an artificial lake which is overlooked by some of the finest modern buildings in the city – the Museu de Arte, the modernist Igreja de São Francisco and the Casa do Baile. They are instantly recognizable as the work of architect Oscar Niemeyer, creator of Brasília, and landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx – both of whom, with their socialist ideals, were presumably horrified by the subsequent development of the area as a rich residential district. | |
| Belo
Horizonte’s main football stadium, the Mineirão, is also
situated in prestigious Pampulha. With a capacity of 130,000, the Mineirão
is a world-class stadium (in fact the world’s second-largest covered
stadium), but it’s rarely more than half full. One of Brazil’s better
teams, Atlético Mineiro, play here and they’re worth catching if
you’re in Belo Horizonte on a Sunday when they’re playing at home.
Local derbies, especially against Cruzeiro, are torrid and very
entertaining affairs, but they often end with the destruction of a large
number of the city’s buses. The #2004 bus passes by, but like all bus
journeys to Pampulha, you should allow an hour to travel from the centre.
Entrance costs around $4, or $5 for the arquibancada (stands).
Casa do Baile |
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| Directly
opposite of the Museu de Arte da Pampulha, on the other side of the lake,
the Casa do Baile, a former dance hall, is by Niemeyer and Marx. It
is currently closed for renovations but there is talk of reopening it as a
restaurant. Get there on the #1202 bus from Rua São Paulo between Avenida
Amazonas and Rua Carijós.
Igreja de São Francisco de Assis |
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construction of the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis (Mon–Fri
8.30am–noon & 1.30–5pm, Sat 8.30am–6pm, Sun 9am–6pm), with its
striking curves and azulejo frontage, provides a roll call of the
greatest names of Brazilian modernism: Burle Marx laid out its grounds,
Niemeyer designed the church, Cândido Portinari did the tiles and murals
and João Ceschiatti (best known for his gravity-defying angels in Brasília’s
cathedral) contributed the bronze baptismal font. It was decades ahead of
its time and it’s astonishing to realize that it dates from the 1940s.
The best time to see it is on Sunday, when Mass takes place at 10.30am and
6pm. To get there, take bus #2004 (marked “Bandeirantes/Olhos d’Água”)
from Avenida Afonso Pena, between Avenida Amazonas and Rua Tupinambás.
Museu de Arte (MAP) |
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| The Museu de Arte da Pampulha (Tues–Sun & holidays 8am–6pm; $2) – or MAP as it is usually called – is more difficult to reach: take the #2215 bus from Rua dos Caetés and get off when you see a sign for the museu to the left – you then have to walk down to the lakeside Avenida Otacílio Negrão de Lima, turn right, and the museum is on a small peninsula jutting out into the lake. It’s worth the trip, although the small collection of modern art it holds isn’t at all compelling in itself. The building, however, is a product of two geniuses at the height of their powers: Niemeyer constructed a virtuoso building, all straight lines and right angles at the front but melting into rippling curves at the back, with a marvellous use of glass; Burle Marx set the whole thing off beautifully, with a sculpture garden out back and an exquisite garden framing the building in front. | |
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