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Surrounded by dense swathes of rainforest, the gorgeous 18th century architecture of Paraty sits in a spectacular location on Brazil’s verdant Costa Verde. The pedestrianised town is a whitewashed canvas, splashed with bold blocks of primary colours, which shine above cobbled streets. Paraty and four nearby protected natural areas of Brazilian Atlantic Forest are a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their cultural and natural values.
Gold is a key theme for Paraty and the region. Gold was stripped from inland mines and brought to Paraty’s port for export. Gold is irresistible. English and French pirates hiding out in the nearby village of Trinidade raided the gold ships leaving Paraty. Paraty owes its preservation today to the fact that it was almost completely abandoned for a hundred years. Then property was gradually bought by people who had the finances to restore buildings sympathetically. And today it is a perfect example of a period town.
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We had a very rushed breakfast as the time on the IPad was put back an hour due to the ending of BST - the joys of artificial intelligence. There was a 20 minute zodiac ride to shore and there we had a two hour walk round the beautifully preserved UNESCO town
It had been a safe place to export the vast amount of gold mined inland. It was said to be a pirate friendly place. Eventually the gold ran out and the town was abandoned for over a hundred years. The waters around it are very shallow and large ships cannot get near - the Silver Cloud had to anchor a long way out. Our guide was from Barcelona and much of his talk was in Spanish as we were a multilingual group. At high tide, once a month, water is admitted to clean the, carless, streets.
We had an interesting walk round the heavily cobbled streets, and a stop to sample Cachaça, a popular Brazilian beverage made from fermented sugar cane juice. It's purported to be spicy, sweet and fruity. .
Click on any thumbnail photo and get a larger photo
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