The afternoon brings a noticeable change in both terrain and scenery. Around Nova Prata, the plateau begins giving way to the northeastern highlands, with elevations around 800 meters and a landscape increasingly marked by araucária, forested valleys and exposed basalt.
Nova Prata is part of the Italian and Polish settlement history of the region, but its most distinctive characteristic is geological. The town is known as the Capital Nacional do Basalto, reflecting the basaltic rock that dominates much of the Serra Geral landscape.
Beyond Nova Prata, the road begins to feel increasingly like the Serra Gaúcha. The broad agricultural plateau gives way to hills, valleys and the first substantial signs of the region's vineyard country.
By late afternoon, the route reaches Bento Gonçalves, the heart of Brazil's Serra Gaúcha wine country.
The city's origins lie in Colônia Dona Isabel, established for Italian immigrants beginning in the 1870s. Families from Veneto, Trentino and other parts of northern Italy brought grape-growing traditions with them, and vineyards soon became one of the defining features of the settlement.
Today, Bento Gonçalves is the center of the Vale dos Vinhedos and one of Brazil's most important wine regions. The valley's vineyards, wineries and Italian-influenced food culture will be the focus of tomorrow.
Tonight, though, there is no need to go far. After a long day on the road, the center of Bento Gonçalves provides an easy place to settle in, have dinner and begin the transition from road travel to wine country.
Deleting this waypoint is permanent and cannot be undone.