Sao Paulo to Aparecida and Cunha: Private day trip

Main attractions

• The spiritual heart of Brazilian Catholicism — Aparecida is home to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the second largest Catholic church in the world after St Peter's in Rome, receiving 12 million pilgrims annually and enshrining the small terracotta statue of the Black Madonna found in the Paraíba River in 1717
• The original 18th-century church (Basílica Velha) where the statue was first venerated stands beside the modern basilica — smaller, quieter and more atmospherically devotional than the vast new structure above it

Take note

• Aparecida receives enormous crowds on major Catholic feast days — Our Lady of Aparecida on 12 October draws over 200,000 pilgrims; visiting on ordinary weekdays gives a calmer and more genuinely reflective experience of the shrine

Main attractions

• A small mountain town in the Serra da Bocaina range of Sao Paulo state — sitting at 1,650 meters in a landscape of Atlantic Forest remnants, misty valleys and traditional caipira rural culture that has changed little since the 19th century; Cunha is among the most authentically preserved colonial hill towns in the state
• The town's ceramics tradition is its most distinctive cultural export — dozens of ateliers and galleries along the historic center streets produce hand-thrown stoneware and sculptural ceramics that have made Cunha one of Brazil's most recognized craft destinations

What to eat

• Leitao assado (roast suckling pig) and linguiça sausage grilled over wood fire at the rural sítio restaurants outside town — the mountain air and open-fire cooking make this the essential Cunha meal