Lauro Müller is a coal-mining town at the foot of the Serra do Rio do Rastro, one of the most famous roads in Brazil, and it sits in a quiet, green valley under a wall of cliffs. The town of ten thousand has a modest, working look, with a railway that once carried coal to the coast and the faded colour of an industry that has declined. The name honours Lauro Müller, a Brazilian engineer and politician born in this region in the nineteenth century, who served as governor of the state and later as a government minister.
The mountain behind the town is the attraction. The Serra do Rio do Rastro is an escarpment where the high plateau of southern Brazil drops sharply toward the coast, and the road climbs it in a spectacular series of switchbacks, with about two hundred and eighty-four bends cut into the slope. The road rises roughly a thousand metres in a short distance, and from the viewpoint near the top you can see the whole serpentine ribbon below, with the coastal plain stretching to the sea in the distance. On clear days, the panorama takes your words away.
The bends are tight, and the surface is generally good, but traffic can be heavy with trucks that crawl up the slope, and tourists who stop for photographs. In the early morning, fog often fills the valley, and when the sun breaks through, the cloud sinks below the road like a white sea. Rain makes the surface slick, and in winter, temperatures at the top can fall close to freezing, with the occasional dusting of snow. Ride up in the morning for the best light and the least traffic.
Another remarkable road in the region is Corvo Branco, a road cut through the rock of the escarpment between walls that tower high above the vehicles, with a dramatic view out over the canyon. It is reached from the plateau side and is a popular excursion.
Lauro Müller has fuel stations, small shops, bakeries and simple restaurants, and nearby Orleans and Urussanga offer more choice. The local food includes sausage, polenta and wine, a legacy of Italian settlers who came to this part of Santa Catarina. The best time to ride is autumn and spring, with clear air and moderate temperatures.