Serenades
Night songs.
Cid Penteado Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cid Penteado Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cid Penteado Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cid Penteado Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cid Penteado Jr — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jonathan Wilkins — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jonathan Wilkins — CC BY-SA 3.0
Conservatória is a district of Valença in Rio de Janeiro state, about 142 kilometres from the capital, lying in a valley of the Serra do Rio Bonito near the Minas Gerais border, with some four thousand people. The town grew in the nineteenth century during the coffee era as an important stop for shipping coffee on a railway linking Minas Gerais with Rio de Janeiro; Emperor Dom Pedro II opened its station in 1883, now the bus station. Its historic centre, laid out by an Italian engineer in 1838 with streets in a triangular pattern, is considered one of the first planned towns in Brazil. Enslaved people built its old structures, such as the Ponte dos Arcos and the «Túnel que Chora» («Weeping Tunnel»). Conservatória is famous for its serenades: singers stroll the streets at night performing old Brazilian songs beneath the windows, a tradition the town has kept alive and that draws visitors. Stories are also told of UFO sightings in the nearby Serra da Beleza. Staying one night is the best way to catch the serenade atmosphere.
Night songs.
Built by the enslaved.
The old station.
Conservatória district, Valença municipality, Rio de Janeiro state
Usually Friday and Saturday nights; check locally.