Antonina

Antonina was a mate and timber port on the inner reach of Paranagua Bay, prosperous into the early twentieth century and then overtaken as shipping moved to Paranagua and the deeper channel. What is left is a small listed centre of pastel houses and warehouses along the water, the Nossa Senhora do Pilar church on the rise, a theatre, and the abandoned Matarazzo industrial complex on the edge of town, whose ruins are a reminder of what the place used to run on. The bay in front is shallow and silting. Its Carnival, the Carnaval de Antonina, is a street event with marchinhas and blocos that draws far more people than the town holds and is the busiest week of its year by a wide margin.

The main sights

• A pastel waterfront - listed houses and warehouses on the bay.
• The Matarazzo ruins - the abandoned industrial complex on the town edge.
• Nossa Senhora do Pilar - the church on the rise above the centre.
• Street Carnival - marchinha blocos filling a town far too small for them.

When to go

April to September; Carnival for the street festival. A day.

What to expect

The town is small and worn, and a couple of hours covers the centre outside Carnival. Accommodation is very limited and impossible during Carnival without long advance booking. Rain and humidity are constant on this coast.

Nearby

Morretes is a short drive inland; Guaraquecaba is north across the bay.

Key facts