| Thirteen kilometres west of Americana,
SANTA BÁRBARA D’OESTE has more Confederate ties. Much the
smaller of the two, there are about thirty families of Confederate origin
here, most of whom still speak English with more than a touch of Dixie in
their voice. Near the main square, a short walk from the Rodoviária, the
excellent Museu da Imigração (Mon–Sat 10am–5pm) has displays
relating to the history of the Confederates in the area, and to that of
other nationalities, chiefly Italian. |
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| About 10km from town, the Cemitério
do Campo is a cool and shaded cemetery on a hill overlooking endless
fields of sugar cane. It dates back to 1910 and all the tombstones, as
well as the monument commemorating the Confederate immigrants, bear
English inscriptions. There’s a small chapel here, too, and a picnic
area where, four times a year (the second Sunday of January, April, July
and October) around 250 members of the Fraternidade Descendência
Americana arrive from throughout Brazil to renew old ties. The cemetery is
very isolated and can only be reached by car: a taxi will charge around
$25 to take you there, and will wait for you while you look around.
However, as not all taxi drivers know exactly where the cemetery is, ask
the museum attendant to order a taxi for you and give your driver precise
directions.
As for accommodation in Santa Bárbara,
there’s only one hotel, the very simple Municipal (no phone;
$10–20), right by the Rodoviária, and just one restaurant, the Bela
Mesa, at Rua General Osório 676. |