At twelve hundred and seventy metres, Maria da Fé is one of the coldest towns in Minas Gerais, and the locals are proud of it. Frost is routine in winter, the hillsides are grazed by sheep, and the people dress as though they were living somewhere much further south. It sits in the Serra da Mantiqueira, whose name in Tupi is usually given as the mountain that weeps, a reference to the many springs that rise from its slopes. It is a gentle, pastoral landscape, quite different from the steep, forested coastal ranges.
The ridge road here is what a rider hopes for in Brazil. The altitude keeps the air crisp, the surface is generally better than the lowland roads, and the bends are open and flowing, climbing through pasture, eucalyptus and small groves of pine. Traffic is light apart from the occasional truck and a lot of locals on small motorbikes. In winter the mornings can be cold enough for frost on the tarmac in shaded corners, and fog sits in the hollows until mid-morning, so wait until the sun reaches the road before you push on.
The town has a quiet small-town centre and a reputation for its cold-climate produce: lamb, cheese, apples and other fruit that struggle in the heat of the lowlands, and a tradition of wool and knitwear. It is a lovely place to eat slowly, with a grill or a simple cafe and a cup of strong coffee, then wander the square. The old churches are modest and white, and the whole place feels farmed rather than built.
For fuel, the safe answer is Itajubá, fifteen kilometres away and a city of over eighty thousand people, with a full range of stations and services. A town of Maria da Fé's size will have a pump, but if you are running low it is better to count on a larger place than on a small-town forecourt that may close early. Evenings are cold, even in summer, so keep something warm in the bag. The best months for riding are May to September, when the air is dry, the skies are clear and the Mantiqueira shows its full outline on the horizon.