Nestled among the forested hills of the Serra dos Órgãos, in the valley of the Quitandinha and Piabanha rivers, Petrópolis is a popular summer holiday spot. Besides the climate and surroundings, the main attraction is the former Summer Palace of the second Brazilian Emperor, which is now a museum, specializing in Imperial history and memorabilia.

Petrópolis is home to the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC), a research unit of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Brazilian Federal Government.

The town’s name (“city of Peter”) honors Emperor Pedro II, the nation’s second monarch and son of Pedro I. The city was the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors and aristocrats in the 19th century, and was the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro between 1894 and 1903.

The town’s origins can be traced to Bernardo Soares de Proença, who in 1720 opened an alternative route between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, across the Serra da Estrela. While traveling to Minas Gerais along this route, Emperor Pedro I found the region’s climate pleasant. Thus, in 1830 he bought a farm, and had his Summer Palace built there, but he never saw it finished, because he stepped down from the throne. Other Brazilian aristocrats eventually followed suit.

German farmers from the Rhineland were encouraged to immigrate and to settle on the Emperor’s outlying lands, to help give the Palace a charming urban setting. The settlement of Petrópolis was founded on March 16, 1843, being promoted to district in 1844 and finally city in 1857. The road connecting the city to Rio de Janeiro was opened in 1910 and paved in 1928.

On a visit at the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, Pedro II was impressed by Alexander Graham Bell’s new invention, thetelephone, and had a line connecting his Summer Palace to his farm headquarters. Even after the establishment of the Republic and the exile of the Imperial family in 1889, the city continued to play a significant role in Brazilian history. In 1903 the Palace of Rio Negro saw the signing of a peace treaty with Bolivia, which gave Brazil the Acre territory. In August 15, 1947, the Organization of American States opened there the Conference for the Maintenance of Peace and Security in the Continent, from which derived the Interamerican Treaty for Reciprocal Assistance.

Armação dos Búzios, or simply Búzios, is one of the most popular and chic destinations in Rio de Janeiro state.

Located on a 5 mile peninsular surrounded by islands, Búzios offers quiet beaches with warm water, outstanding scuba-diving opportunities and, of course, glamorous bars and parties once the sun goes down.

It’s where the well-healed cariocas (Rio residents) come for the weekend to wind-down, or up, for that matter.

At night everyone heads out to Rua das Pedras where the main bars, restaurants and nightclubs can be found, as well as designer swimwear labels, gift and design shops and art galleries.

You can easily stay in Búzios for a fortnight and eat in a different place every day, such is the variety of gastronomic possibilities

To reach the summit, passengers take two cable cars. The first ascends to the shorter Morro de Açúcar, 220 meters high. The second car ascends to Pão de Açúcar. The Italian-made bubble-shaped cars offer passengers 360-degree views of the surrounding city. Each car travels only three minutes from start to finish. Departures are available every 20 minutes between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm and the fare is US$11 for Morro de Açúcar or US$22 for the whole way to Pão de Açúcar.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarloaf_Mountain_(Brazil)