Serro

Serro was a diamond and gold town, listed in its entirety, and it sits on steep ground with the Matriz do Bom Jesus at the top, the Santa Rita church reached by a long stair, and two eighteenth-century mansions - the Chacara do Barao do Serro and the Casa dos Ottoni - open as museums. It is best known nationally for cheese. Queijo Minas artesanal do Serro is made from raw milk with the whey starter called pingo, in a method registered as national intangible heritage, and the town is the reference point for the whole Minas cheese tradition; small dairies around it can be visited. Selling raw-milk cheese across state lines was illegal for decades, and the long fight to legalise it is part of the story here.

What you actually see

• A fully listed colonial town - steep streets with churches at the high points.
• Raw-milk Serro cheese - made with pingo starter, registered as heritage.
• Small working dairies - the farms around the town open to visitors.
• Eighteenth-century mansions - the Ottoni and Barao houses as museums.

When to go

April to September. A day.

Honest expectations

Dairy visits need arranging in advance and are working farms, not attractions. Streets are very steep. The two house museums open on a limited timetable that is worth checking by phone. Accommodation is limited - most people base in Diamantina.

Nearby

Diamantina is north; Milho Verde and Sao Goncalo do Rio das Pedras are close by.