Pampulha

In 1940 Juscelino Kubitschek, then mayor of Belo Horizonte, commissioned a young Oscar Niemeyer to build a leisure complex around an artificial lake, and the result was the first place Niemeyer worked in the curves that became his signature - fifteen years before Brasilia, which the same partnership would produce. The church of Sao Francisco de Assis is the key building: a nave of parabolic concrete vaults, an exterior tile panel by Candido Portinari, and a design the Catholic hierarchy considered unfit for worship, refusing to consecrate it until 1959. The ensemble also includes the Casa do Baile on its island, the yacht club and the building now holding the art museum. Gardens are by Roberto Burle Marx. The lake itself is heavily polluted and not for swimming.

What you actually see

• Niemeyer's first curves - the vocabulary he later took to Brasilia.
• A church refused consecration - unconsecrated until 1959 on grounds of style.
• Portinari tiles - the exterior panel on the church's rear wall.
• Burle Marx gardens - the landscape design across the ensemble.

When to go

April to September. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The buildings are spread around a large lake and walking between them takes longer than expected - a taxi between stops is sensible. Opening days differ per building and several close on Mondays. The lake is polluted and smells in places.

Nearby

Mineirao stadium is beside the lake; central Belo Horizonte is south.