Fazenda do Resgate

Fazenda do Resgate

10km/6mi from Bananal, near the road to Barra Mansa, is the Fazenda do Resgate (protected national monument), which once belonged to Manuel Aguiar Valin, one of the richest and most influential of the coffee barons. The house, built of clay in the early 19th century, has numerous windows. Round the main building, which contains the family chapel, is a large area of grass, with trees and a fountain, on which the coffee beans were dried. Features of particular interest are the gold ornament on some of the furniture and the pictures by the Spanish artist José María Villaronga. The fazenda can be seen only with special permission from the owner.