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Description
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Bathed
by forty two beaches, Florianσpolis is a wonderful sight for the
visitor. Situated on the Island of Santa
Catarina, the capital of the state of Santa Catarina has a
landscape sprinkled with lakes, sand dunes and small islands all
along the coast. The inviting waves on beaches such as Joaquina
have encouraged successive national and international surfing
championships to be held here. Beaches such as Canasvieiras and
Jurerκ with hotels and sophisticated restaurants, compete with
the rustic charm of beaches such as Campeche, Ponta dos Naufragados
and Solidγo.
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Along
the coast, a series of fortresses built to withstand invasion
by the Spanish and Dutch during the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries are a relic from the colonization of the state. Amongst
them are the Fortress of Santa Cruz on the Island of Anhatomirim,
the Fortress of Sγo Josι da Ponta Grossa between the beaches of
Daniela and Jurerκ, registered as Historical Heritage, and Santo
Antτnio, on the Island of Ratones Grande. In Pβntano do Sul, also
on the coast, is the capital's most authentic fishing village.
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Originally
colonized by the Portuguese of the Azores, Florianσpolis retains
many traces of its early years. The small village of Santo Antτnio
de Lisboa is an example of architecture of that period and in
Ribeirγo da Ilha, the oldest part of the capital, the inhabitants
still speak the Azorean dialect which is difficult to understand
at first. In Ribeirγo da Ilha is the church of Our Lady of Lapa
do Ribeirγo, built in 1806. Lagoa da Conceiηγo, with its many
sand dunes, restaurants and seaside night life and where women
make lace to sell in the street, has also managed to retain many
traces of its colonial architecture.
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The
centre of Florianσpolis, with its alleys, rows of typical houses,
churches and museums, contains many examples of colonial architecture.
Amongst these are the former government palace, nowadays the Cruz
e Souza Museum (which took its name from the famous poet from
Santa Catarina who formed the symbolist movement) and the Public
Market built in 1898 which sells food and local handicrafts under
the shade of a one hundred year old fig tree. Close to the centre
is the house where Victor Meirelles was born, one of the authors
who devised the first mass spoken in Brazil. The building is registered
by the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage and houses
the Victor Meirelles Museum.
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