Ouro Preto

Ouro Preto, whose name means black gold, was the centre of an eighteenth-century gold rush that made it one of the richest towns in the Americas, and the wealth was poured into a dense cluster of baroque churches and mansions on the steep hills of Minas Gerais. When the gold ran out the town was left frozen in time, and it is now the finest ensemble of Brazilian baroque anywhere, a World Heritage Site of cobbled streets that plunge and climb between ornate facades. Its churches hold the sculpture and carving of Aleijadinho, the crippled mulatto master whose work defines the period, and the town was also a cradle of Brazilian independence sentiment. Walking it is a workout on the near-vertical stone lanes, but every turn opens onto another gilded interior or hillside view.

What you actually see

• Igreja de São Francisco de Assis - the masterpiece church with Aleijadinho's carving and Ataíde's painted ceiling.
• The steep cobbled streets - the near-vertical colonial lanes between the churches.
• Praça Tiradentes - the central square, named for the independence martyr.
• The gold and mineral museums - the story of the rush that built the town.

When to go

April to September is drier and better for walking the steep stone streets, which are treacherous when wet. Holy Week processions are famous but crowded. The town's altitude keeps evenings cool. Weekdays are quieter than weekends.

Honest expectations

The streets are genuinely steep and cobbled, a real effort to walk and hard on those with limited mobility, and slippery in rain. Many churches charge separately and photography inside is often banned. It is popular with Brazilian tourists, busy at weekends and holidays. Two hours from Belo Horizonte on a winding road, it rewards an overnight rather than a rushed day trip.

Nearby

Mariana, another colonial town, is close; the Inhotim open-air art park is a longer drive away.