Theatro Minerva
Older than the capital's.
Valéria Pereira Silva — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Karlusedward — CC BY-SA 4.0 · GLandovsky — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Joseph Hakkinen A. Santos — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rogerio121402 — CC BY-SA 4.0
Areia is a small town in the uplands of Paraíba's Brejo region, where moist Atlantic winds wrap it in light mist in winter. Its name comes from a stream whose banks were of very white sand, which first gave the place the name Brejo d'Areia. Locals call it the «Land of Culture»: it has the Theatro Minerva, built thirty years before the theatre of the state capital João Pessoa, and the Pedro Américo Museum, which shows many reproductions of works by its most famous son, the painter Pedro Américo. Students from across the region once flocked here, and its historic centre is now protected by the national heritage institute. Visitors wander among colourful houses, old churches and sloping lanes, and five kilometres away the Mata do Pau-Ferro State Park keeps the area's largest remnant of Atlantic Forest. The town is about fifty kilometres from Campina Grande.
Older than the capital's.
Local painter.
Nearby forest.
Town centre, Brejo region, Paraíba
Being high, it is fairly cool with misty winters, so bring a light layer.