Lunch in Rio Grande
Rio Grande, the oldest city in Rio Grande do Sul, was founded 19 February 1737 by Brigadier José da Silva Paes at the mouth of the Lagoa dos Patos, a foothold against Spanish pressure from the Río de la Plata. His fort, Jesus, Maria e José, anchored the region's first Portuguese settlement; today the port handles some of Brazil's largest cargo volumes.
The historic centre: Praça Sete de Setembro marks the original fort's site, ringed by 19th-century buildings from its commercial boom under German, English, and Portuguese merchants. The Alfândega, a neoclassical customs house now the Museu Histórico da Cidade, is among the state's finest; the Sobrado dos Azulejos, clad entirely in Portuguese tiles, is unique in southern Brazil.