The little town of Bananal, founded in 1783, lies in the Paraíba valley, close to the Serra Bocaina and only 16km/10mi from the border of Rio de Janeiro state, 323km/201mi north-east of São Paulo and 145km/90mi north-west of Rio de Janeiro. Coming from São Paulo, take BR 116 (or the Via Dutra) to Cachoeira Paulista and then SP 66, which runs east to Bananal; or alternatively continue on BR 116 to Queluz and from there the Areias road, which in 12km/7.5mi runs into SP 66. From Rio de Janeiro take BR 116 and then the road from Barra Mansa to Bananal.
In the years following Brazil's declaration of independence (1822) the coffee crops of the Paraíba valley brought prosperity to the whole region. Bananal became the wealthiest town in the area and grew so much in importance that in 1829 it sought to become the capital of a new province. It has managed to preserve the memory of its past wealth, with imposing properties and handsome mansions which recall the heyday of the coffee boom.
In Rua Manoel de Aguilar, near Praça da Matriz, is the Farmácia Popular, the oldest functioning pharmacy in Brazil. Built in 1830 as the Farmácia Imperial, it was renamed after the proclamation of the Republic. It has a large collection of 19th century pharmaceutical instruments and preparations, including porcelain vessels for the maceration of plant roots and glass bottles containing powders, tinctures and oils, with labels written in gold.
In the town center there are still a number of handsome old mansions built by the owners of coffee plantations in the 19th century - for example a completely renovated building of 1836 by Praça da Matriz, now a showroom for the sale of the crochet work for which the town is famous. In front of it is the church of Bom Jesus do Livramento (patron of the town), which also dates from the early 19th century.
The railway station on Praça Dona Dominicana, opened in 1889, is now protected as a national monument. This plain prefabricated building was imported from Belgium by the fazendeiros (landowners) of the region.
The Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina is a region of dense forest stretching across 250,000 acres. The landscape of the park is dotted with waterfalls, lakes, rivers and ponds. The park offers great opportunities for hang-gliding.
Along the road to Bananal is the Hotel-Fazenda Club dos 200, which until 1934 was known simply as the Club dos 200 (Club of the Two Hundred). The club, opened in 1928 by President Washington Luís, was designed to be an exclusive meeting-place for two hundred members of the upper ranks of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo society. The original windows, imported from abroad, still survive; they depict scenes of old automobiles being repaired by the roadside.
Address: Hotel-Fazenda Club dos 200, Rodovia dos Tropeiros, Km 277, São José do Barreiro, Sao Paulo , Brazil
São José do Barreiro, 44km/27mi west of Bananal, is one of the gateways to the Serra da Bocaina National Park. Round the town are a number of estates dating from the heyday of the coffee plantations.
The Fazenda Pau d'Alho, 3km/2mi from São José do Barreiro, set amid forests, rivers and waterfalls, the estate includes not only the owner's mansion but also slave huts and the slave cemetery.
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Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina
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São José do Barreiro - Fazenda Pau d'Alho
