mercoledì 25 maggio 2011

BRASILIA!!!!

Brasília

Brasilia
The construction of this ultra-modern city, situated in the centre of Brazil, began in 1956. Since its official foundation on 21 April 1960, the city has served the purpose for which it was built: to replace Rio de Janeiro as the country's capital. As a result, the bulk of Brazil's federal administration and political power are centred here.
The move to take the capital away from the coast gradually began gathering momentum after Brazil gained independence in 1822. The switch was intended to symbolise the country's change from a colonial state to an independent nation, and this intention was legally documented in 1891 by an article in the Constitution. But it was not until 1953, under the presidency of Getulio Vargas, that the idea resurfaced. It fell to another president, Juscelino Kubitschek, to bring the project to fruition, with the start of construction in 1956 and the city's official founding four years later both coming during his time in office.
One of the city's striking features is its wide avenues, which surround both its public buildings and its two districts, one to the north and the other to the south. These are divided into so-called superblocks, each of which contain numerous buildings. The central part of the cross is the Praça dos Três Poderes (Three Powers' Square). Here can be found the country's seats of Executive and Legislative Power as well as the headquarters of the Supreme Federal Court.
Widely considered to be avant-garde city in architectural terms, the Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia and the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge are without doubt the most iconic structures. Both were designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the man behind most of the landmark buildings in the new capital. Due to its architectural feats,
Brasilia is the only city in the world constructed in the 20th century to have been declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
FootballThe Federal District of which Brasília is the capital is home to two clubs that have had recent successful surges in Brazil's elite: Sociedade Esportiva do Gama and Brasiliense Futebol Clube - the surprising runners-up of the Copa do Brasil in 2002.
Brasília has a recognized tradition in hosting first-rate sporting events and was one of the host cities of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008, which was played at the Nilson Nelson - a sports hall situated right in front of the former Mané Garrincha Stadium, which will soon be replaced by the brand new National Stadium of Brasília –a  70,000-seater that will be one of the biggest stadiums in the country. The city also boasts two other important football grounds in the Serejão, where Brasiliense plays its home matches, and the Bezerrão - which was completely redesigned and inaugurated in November 2008 with the presence of the Seleção in a 6-2 blow out win over Portugal

mercoledì 18 maggio 2011

PORTO ALEGRE!!!

Porto Alegre

Porto Alegre - City Hall
From the subtropical climate to the cultural habits, Porto Alegre is fairly different from the other state capitals in Brazil. Founded in 1742 by immigrants from the Portuguese archipelago of Azores, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul was the destination of thousands of immigrants from Portugal and Italy - like many other cities in Brazil but also from other European countries, particularly Germany and Poland.
Besides that, as the state is located far down the south of Brazil, the gaúchos, as people from Rio Grande do Sul are called, share several cultural traits with their neighbours from Argentina and Uruguay, from the folklore music to the habit of drinking the mate infusion, or chimarrão.
Porto Alegre lies on the eastern bank of the Guaíba River, right at the convergence point of five other rivers, which together form the enormous Lagoa dos Patos (Ducks Lagoon). Its 497 square kilometres are covered with more than one million trees, making it one of the greenest cities in Brazil, despite being the nucleus of the fourth-most populous metropolitan area in the country, with roughly four million inhabitants. There are over 1.4 million people living within the boundaries of Porto Alegre.
Temperatures are a lot milder in Porto Alegre than they are in most of the Brazilian capitals, with an annual temperature average of 19.5ºC and cold winters that have historical records of snow and subzero temperatures. The four seasons are very defined, though, and during the summer, temperatures may go well beyond 35ºC. The capital of Rio Grande do Sul is also famous for featuring one of the highest human hevelopment index figures in the whole country.
FootballThe football scene in the city of Porto Alegre is divided in two halves: the black and blue one from Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense and the red and white from Sport Club Internacional. The two teams share the passion of the porto-alegrenses and are two of the most important clubs in the history of Brazilian football.
Besides dominating the history books of Rio Grande do Sul, Grêmio and Inter also combine for a number of national and international titles: while the Tricolor have conquered the Campeonato Brasileiro title twice (1981 and 1996), the Copa do Brasil four times (1989, 1994, 1997 and 2001), the Copa Libertadores twice (1983 and 1995) and the Toyota Cup once (1983), Inter have keep their silverware gallery packed with three Brasileiro titles (1975, 1976 and 1979), one Copa do Brasil (1992), one Libertadores (2006) and one FIFA Club World Cup (2006), among many others.
Both Grêmio and Internacional own traditional and highly regarded stadiums for over 50,000 spectators, separated some 2.5 km from each other: the Olímpico Monumental and the Beira-Rio, respectively. Their youth divisions are also among the most prolific in Brazil, having produced the likes of Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Emerson, Renato Gaúcho (Grêmio), Falcão, Taffarel and Alexandre Pato (Internacional).
The Beira-Rio will be the one hosting FIFA World Cup matches, after going through a complete revamp.

martedì 17 maggio 2011

RECIFE!!!!

Recife

Recife - Boa Viagem Beach
Recife is the capital of the state of Pernambuco, in the north-east of Brazil, and the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area - a conurbation of another 13 cities, including Olinda, with a population of 3.7 million. Because of its economical importance for the region, the city is often called ‘the capital of the North-east'.
The histories of Recife and Olinda run parallel to each other. For several years, Recife (Portuguese for ‘reef') existed essentially as the port that connected the village of Olinda to the Atlantic. The build-up of Recife was profoundly boosted by the presence of the Dutch in the north-east of Brazil. As the Dutch West India Company dominated the region, Maurice of Nassau disembarked in Recife in 1637 and ordered the construction of the bridges, canals and levees of the then-called Mauritsstad (Maurice City), which was the capital of the Dutch colonies in the Americas. Maurice of Nassau's term only lasted until 1644, but Recife inherited its architectural legacy that eventually led to the nickname ‘the Brazilian Venice'.
Some of the most impressive beaches around the state's capital are Boa Viagem, one of the most famous urban beaches of the region, and Porto de Galinhas, which stands among the top tourist destinations in the country, located some 70 kilometres away from Recife.
However, because of the Dutch presence and the several twists of fate over its history, besides the tropical climate and the spectacular beaches that are common to the north-eastern coast of Brazil, the region of Recife is also prolific on historical attributes, such as the Orange Fort and the very city of Olinda, which was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1982.
There is no better time to check the traditions of Recife and Olinda closely than carnival, when the rhythms of frevo and maracatu completely take the cities over and rock street parades like the Galo da Madrugada (‘Dawn Rooster'), which brings two million people to the streets every year.
FootballYou will hardly find another city in Brazil as football-mad as Recife. It is a tough task to determine which of the three top clubs of the state of Pernambuco relies on a more passionate fan base; Sport Club do Recife, Santa Cruz Futebol Clube or Clube Náutico Capibaribe.
All three teams have had glorious moments in Brazilian football, although Sport stand slightly apart from their competitors thanks to two major titles: the Campeonato Brasileiro in 1987 and the Copa do Brasil in 2008.
Each Sport, Santa Cruz and Náutico have their own private stadium - Ilha do Retiro, Arrudão and Aflitos respectively - but the state government of Pernambuco has decided to put up a new, more modern one to be up to the standards of the FIFA World Cup: the Arena Capibaribe, which will be built at the metropolitan area surrounding Recife.
 

lunedì 16 maggio 2011

FORTALEZA!!!

Fortaleza

Fortaleza's Cathedral
Although it was officially founded as a village in 1726, and would only become the capital of Ceará in 1799, Fortaleza (Portuguese for ‘fortress') owes its name to the period between 1637 to 1654, when it was controlled by the Dutch, who built the Schoonenborch Fort.
Featuring 34 kilometres of wonderful beaches, Fortaleza has been one of the main tourist destinations in the north-east of Brazil for several years. It has also developed into an important economic centre and a densely populated metropolitan area: over 2.4 million people reside within its 313 square kilometres (120,8 sq mi).
Most of the tourist attractions in Fortaleza revolve around its beaches: the Praia do Futuro (Future Beach) popular for its several barracas - simple kiosk-restaurants built on the sand that serve fresh, typical seafood - while Iracema is the place for bars and nightclubs. There is also more bucolic Mucuripe Beach, from where fishermen venture into the sea with their jangadas (handmade wooden boats). The coastal Beira Mar avenue is also the place for a traditional daily craftsmen's fair and for some of the top spots to dance the forró, a typical rhythm from the north-east of Brazil.
Over the decades, Fortaleza has invested in infra-structure for tourism and in new features such as the Centro Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura  (Sea Dragon Art and Culture Centre) and the Beach Park, Brazil's largest water park, with several cutting-edge speed-slides distributed along 35,000 square kilometres.
FootballTwo of the most popular clubs from the north-east of Brazil come from Fortaleza: Ceará Sporting Club and Fortaleza Esporte Clube. Both teams have historically shared the attention of the fans throughout the whole state of Ceará, as well as the state titles.
The two sides have also played memorable roles in national competitions: Ceará were the runner-ups in the Copa do Brasil in 1994, when they lost to Grêmio, and they reached the semi finals in 2005, while Fortaleza finished runners-up twice in the Taça Brasil (a predecessor to the Campeonato Brasileiro), in 1960 and 1968.
The city of Fortaleza offers two main stadiums for the matches involving Ceará, Fortaleza and Ferroviário Esporte Clube: the 58,000-seater, state-owned Plácido Castelo, also known as the Castelão, and the city-owned Presidente Vargas. The Castelão is currently being revamped and expanded to host up to 67,000 fans at Brazil 2014.

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