In Brazil's Costa Verde, local communities are tapping into the ancient stillness beneath their town's thrum

"I remember this as I wend my way from Brazil's colossus, São Paulo, to the coastal enclave of Paraty on the Costa Verde, driving through tunnels of Atlantic Forest that filter blinking bars of light. Floral scents surf on warm air through the open window. The legendary Afro-Brazilian singer-songwriter of the 1960s Tropicalismo genre, who went on to become Brazil's first culture minister to advocate for national diversity, has performed at festivals in Paraty."

"Floral scents surf on warm air through the open window. On my headphones plays the music of Gilberto Gil, upbeat and carefree. The legendary Afro-Brazilian singer-songwriter of the 1960s Tropicalismo genre, who went on to become Brazil's first culture minister to advocate for national diversity, has performed at festivals in Paraty. His melodies rise, fall and rise again, layered and complex, like the history of the town."

Paraty is a coastal town on Brazil's Costa Verde combining preserved colonial architecture, Atlantic Forest biodiversity and cultural vibrancy. The town sits below the Serra do Mar escarpment and fronts an archipelago of 65 islands within multiple protected areas. Paraty is easily accessible from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and hosts cachaça distilleries, Brazil's largest literary festival and frequent performances by prominent Afro-Brazilian musicians. UNESCO designated Paraty and Ilha Grande a World Heritage Site in 2019 for their conserved natural-cultural landscape. The town's centro histórico resembles an 18th-century period set and draws visitors for both ecological and cultural experiences.

Read at CN Traveller