The tour will drive to the Parque das Mangabeiras located in the southern sector of the city. This natural protected area located on a plateau that covers 600 acres, still preserve a reminiscence of the ancient native forest, a lake, a great number of water springs, sports practice’s areas and a theatre and an amphitheatre. The Mirador da Mata (Forest belvedere) provides a privileged sight of the third greatest city of Brazil. After visiting the park, the tour will continue to the Botanic Garden and to the Instituto Agronómico where the Museu de História Natural (Natural History Museum) has been settled. The tour continues and a stop is made in order to visit the Basilica of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes, following towards the Freedom Square, which is lined with palm trees and an architectural ensemble featuring classical government buildings and Art-Deco. offices. The tour follows to the northwest of the city center where the suburb of Pampulha is located, famous for its avant-garde buildings and the artificial lake, created in the 1930s by Oscar Niemeyer and landscaped by Roberto Burle Marx. The Igreja São Francisco de Assis, overlooking the large lake, was inaugurated in 1943 and Cândido Portinari painted its exterior where he installed a beautiful blue and white tiles depicting Saint Francis` life. On the wall behind the altar is a powerful composition also by Portinari. After having explored Belo Horizonte`s main points of interest, time to return to hotel.

Morning departure from Hotels in Belo Horizonte directly to Congonhas do Campo.This tour will allow to understand deeply the art of Aleijadinho and the characteristics of the Portuguese-Brazilian Baroque. It is considered one of the finest works of art of the gold period, the spiritual heart of Minas Gerais Congonhas do Campo. The landmark of the city is the twelve statues of Old Testament prophets outside the majestic church of Bom Jesus de Matosinhos, a shrine for pilgrims. Remarkably dramatic, larger than life-size and full of movement and expression, they show strength not usually associated with the plastic arts in the 18th century. Carved from blocks of fragile soapstone, they dominate the garden they look down on and the church they lead to. Before working on the twelve Prophets, Aleijadinho carved (or supervised his pupils in carving) 64 figures in cedar wood, which were placed in the six small chapels below the pilgrimage church commemorating episodes of the Passion. Of particular interest is the Christ of the Crucifixion, one of the sublimes figures created by Brazil's Michelangelo. Since Aleijadinho's leprosy was already advanced when working in Congonhas do Campo, he could only work in a kneeling (and ultimately recumbent) position with his hammer and chisel strapped to his wrists. Doubtless, these statues and figures by Aleijadinho are a masterpiece of a great artist suffering his own Passion.

The Ouro Preto´s full day tour starts from Belo Horizonte hotels to the historic city of Ouro Preto, pride of the Minas Gerais state and Brazil. Upon arrival the tour will stop in the San Francisco de Assis, church, remodelled in 1992, and disclosing the fine artistic expression of the master Aleijadinho. At the next stop, the tour will follow into the Minas School Museum that has got a large collection of mineralogical simples, from all over the World. After this interesting visit, the participants will be lead to one of the richest and expressive church in Brazil, the Ns. Senhora do Pilar church, with its opulent golden wooden carved work, symbol of the arts on the Golden Age and iconographic of the Portuguese-Brazilian baroque period. Meanwhile and after that the participants will be taken to lunch in a typical house of Ouro Preto, the Casa dos Contos that detaches not only by its historical value, but mainly due to the fine sample of the unique and delicious Mina’s gastronomy. After this superb lunch, the tour continue visiting of the two of the most significant buildings in the city, the Oratorium House and the Opera House, an example of the colonial architecture expression. Late afternoon, return to Belo Horizonte hotels.

Depart from Hotels in Belo Horizonte  to the colonial town of Sabará, 22 kilometers east of Belo Horizonte, a voyage back to the gold-mining era of Minas Gerais. It was here that the first alluvial gold strikes were made in the riverbank. The very early days of Sabará are represented by the tiny Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Ó, one of the oldest and certainly one of the most unusual, colonial churches in Brazil: An austere, irregularly shaped exterior is topped off by an unmistakably Chinese tower, complete with pagoda-like upturns at the corners. Also the interior, dominated by a gilded arch over the altar, shows distinct oriental influences. A further fascinating sacred building is the church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário which was built by slaves, who actually did the work in the gold mines. However, with the decline of the mines the money ran out and the church was left unfinished. A demonstration of the remarkable talents of Antônio Francisco Lisboa, better known as Aleijadinho, is the third church we will go to see: the church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo. He created the façade and the soapstone emblem of the Carmelite order on the main doorway and was also responsible for the carving on the side altars, the pulpits and the choir loft. Leaving the divine spheres, return to the commercial side of the gold-mining days. The Museu do Ouro (Gold Museum) - housed in Brazil's only surviving royal gold foundry - displays mining equipment, furniture and religious works of Sabará's glory days. When gold was discovered in Minas Gerais, the Portuguese Crown was entitled to a fifth of the output but had to collect it first. Here the gold dust was weighed and cast into bars. Along with the other royal foundry in Ouro Preto, it was Brazil's most heavily guarded building. In addition to the Chafariz do Caquete, we will become familiar with a tuneful testament to the wealth of bygone days: Sabará's elegant opera house, the Teatro Municipal. It boasts crystal lamps and three tiers of seats in carved wood and bamboo cane. The nineteenth-century theatre, Brazil's second oldest opera house, was completed just as the gold ran out. Return to hotels.