Rota Romantica Brazil (214 km)

Porto Alegre to Canela · one way, about 214 km back to the start

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Why this ride

214 km from Porto Alegre to Canela, about 2 h 56 of riding. It goes by way of Novo Hamburgo, Nova Petropolis and Gramado. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Roadbook

1. Porto Alegre start

   Evening in Porto Alegre belongs to the Guaíba, the wide, brown, lake-like river that laps against the edge of the city, and the sunset over its far bank is something people here take seriously. They gather on the waterfront with a gourd of chimarrão, the hot, bitter maté that gaúchos pass around like a ritual, and watch the sky turn orange behind the islands. This is the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, a city of roughly one and a half million people, and the cultural centre of Brazil's far south, where cattle country, European immigration and a stubborn regional pride come together.

   The old centre has the Mercado Público, a nineteenth-century market hall that is the city's belly, full of spice stalls, coffee, cheese and cachaça, and still one of the best places to understand the place. For a meal, the answer is churrasco, meat grilled over embers and carved at the table until you surrender. The accents and the family names also tell a story. German settlers arrived in the 1820s and founded São Leopoldo just north, and Italians came later and planted vines in the hills, so the whole region has a mixed cultural stamp.

   As the start of the Rota Romântica, the city is your last big supply point. Fuel, tyres, a mechanic and a good breakfast are all easy here, so tidy up whatever needs it before you leave. The route heads north through the German colonies, with towns named Novo Hamburgo, Ivoti and Dois Irmãos, then climbs into the green hills of the Serra Gaúcha. The first part is busy, dominated by trucks, suburbs and the heavy traffic on the federal highways, so be patient and keep your eyes open.

   Once the road lifts away from the plain, it changes. Half-timbered houses, small chapels and farms with neat gardens start to appear, the hills grow steeper and the air cooler, and the landscape feels oddly like central Europe seen through a tropical filter. Leave early, because the city's rush hour is serious, and the afternoon often brings thunderstorms in summer. Winter mornings can be cold and misty, so a warm layer is worthwhile for the climb.

2. Novo Hamburgo scenic

   Novo Hamburgo is where the Rota Romântica begins, and it begins with leather. This is a city of a quarter of a million people on the Rio dos Sinos, about forty kilometres north of Porto Alegre in Rio Grande do Sul, and for most of the twentieth century it made a large share of Brazil's shoes. Factories, tanneries and outlet stores still line the main roads, and the city carries its nickname, capital of footwear, without any embarrassment. It is the commercial end of a German-speaking colonisation story that started in the 1820s.

   The first German settlers in the state arrived in 1824 at nearby São Leopoldo, and the valley of the Sinos river filled up with farmers, craftsmen and tradespeople from the Rhineland and Hunsrück, who brought half-timbered houses, Lutheran and Catholic churches, choirs and a fondness for sausage and cake. Novo Hamburgo split from São Leopoldo much later, in the 1920s, and its historic neighbourhood of Hamburgo Velho still keeps old buildings, a museum and quiet streets under big trees. The German heritage is thinner here than in the hills, though, and the best of it is found as you climb away from the city.

   For a rider, this is a gateway rather than a destination. The first kilometres out of town are urban, with traffic lights, trucks and the heavy tempo of an industrial region, and the real road starts after you leave the valley floor. Before that, treat it as a practical stop. It has fuel stations at every junction, workshops, supermarkets and a wide choice of lunch places, from self-service buffets where you pay by weight to churrascarias serving grilled meat in endless rounds. Be careful with your things in the busy centre, as you would in any Brazilian city of this size.

   The countryside beyond is the Serra Gaúcha, where roads wind up from the plain through eucalyptus plantations and araucaria pines toward Nova Petrópolis and Gramado. The air cools as you gain height, the light turns clearer, and the little towns have names that sound like Bavaria. In winter, mornings can be cold and foggy even down here, and frost is not unknown on the higher roads.

   The best days are in autumn and spring, when it is neither stifling nor wet. Summer heat and thunderstorms are common, with intense afternoon downpours, so an early start is wise. Plan to leave the city before the afternoon traffic, and take a waterproof layer, even if the morning looks bright.

3. Nova Petropolis scenic

   Nova Petrópolis is the German town that grew into a garden. It sits in the Serra Gaúcha, on the plateau above the river valleys of Rio Grande do Sul, and its streets, squares and hedges are kept with a fussiness that would impress a Bavarian council. The town was founded in the 1850s by German immigrants, and its identity is still bound up with that history, with half-timbered buildings, choirs, folk dance groups and menus that arrive with sauerkraut, sausages and thick cakes.

   The most famous of the town's gardens is the Labirinto Verde, a hedge maze laid out in a pattern of walls and corridors, and a pleasing place to waste an hour. The Praça das Flores in the centre is a plant-filled square with trees, flowerbeds and a view of the church. Nearby, the Parque Aldeia do Imigrante is a village of reconstructed early houses, showing how the settlers lived, with old tools and costumes. The town also hosts an international choir festival, and in the evening you may hear voices drifting from a church, because singing is an important part of local life.

   A piece of history here goes beyond the pretty gardens: in 1902, a Jesuit priest, Theodor Amstad, helped found the first credit cooperative in Brazil in the district of Linha Imperial, and the town still describes itself as the cradle of Brazilian cooperatives. The idea was simple, that poor farmers could pool their savings and lend to each other, and it spread across the country and grew into a large financial network. It is an unusual claim to fame, and the town is proud of it.

   The riding on the Rota Romântica between Nova Petrópolis and Gramado is a relaxed run through hills, with pines, hydrangea hedges and gentle bends. The surface is generally good, with some patches, and traffic can thicken on weekends and holidays, when visitors flood in from Porto Alegre. Morning fog is common in the cooler months, and rain showers sweep in quickly, so a layer is useful. The scenery is mostly small farms, plantations and orchards, with flowers along the verges in spring.

   Nova Petrópolis is large enough to have fuel stations, cafes and supermarkets, so there is no problem in stopping. For food, look for a café colonial, the traditional spread of breads, cakes, cold cuts, jams and coffee that is served in the afternoon. Try the cuca, a German-style crumb cake, and buy a jar of local honey or jam to take with you.

4. Gramado scenic

   Gramado is a mountain town that has been styled, with great confidence, as a fairy-tale village, and it works. Chalet-style houses with steep roofs, window boxes of flowers, chocolate shops, fondue restaurants and neat gardens fill the centre, and the cool air at around eight hundred metres, so different from the heat of the coast, makes the whole thing feel more convincing. The hydrangeas that line the streets bloom in summer, and in winter the town sometimes has frost and, once in a while, a dusting of snow.

   The town grew from a modest settlement of German and Italian farmers in the Serra Gaúcha, and became a tourist destination in the twentieth century, when Brazilians from the hot lowlands began to come up for the climate. It now hosts two big events: a film festival, held each August since 1973, which showcases Brazilian and Latin American cinema, and the Natal Luz, a long Christmas season with parades, lights and shows that draws a large crowd. At those times the streets are busy to the point of gridlock, and hotels are full months ahead.

   Beside Gramado lies Canela, a slightly larger and less polished town, known for its stone cathedral and for the Caracol waterfall, which drops more than a hundred metres in a single plume in the middle of a forest park. The Black Lake, a small artificial lake in Gramado ringed by trees and with swan-shaped paddle boats, is a favourite stop, and the shops on the main street sell chocolates, knitwear and leather goods. It is pleasant, if commercial, and the quality of the chocolate is surprisingly high.

   For riders, the road is the point. The RS-235 and the other roads that wind through the hills between Nova Petrópolis, Gramado and Canela are well maintained, with sweeping turns, tree-lined sections and gentle gradients. On weekdays outside the holidays, it is a lovely ride. On holiday weekends the roads fill with cars, buses and slow-moving sightseers, and patience is needed. The weather is changeable, with fog, drizzle and sudden showers, and the road surface can be slippery, so take care in the dampness.

   Fuel and food are no problem. Gramado and Canela have plenty of stations, workshops and restaurants, and the choice of food ranges from fondue and Swiss-style dishes to hearty Brazilian barbecue. A café colonial is the local speciality in the afternoon. Book accommodation ahead in peak periods, and consider a visit in spring or autumn, when the crowds are thinner and the light is soft.

5. Canela finish

   Canela sits on a high plateau in the Serra Gaúcha, at around eight hundred metres, and the altitude gives the town a cooler, damper character than the plains you have just left. Hydrangeas line the streets and gardens, the araucaria pines stand against the sky with their odd umbrella shapes, and in winter it is cold enough for frost and, occasionally, a dusting of snow. About thirty-three thousand people live here, and the town has fuel, food and plenty of places to stay, though its fancier neighbour Gramado, a few kilometres away, gets more of the crowds.

   The town's landmark is the Catedral de Pedra, a neo-Gothic church of grey stone finished in the 1950s, with a tall spire and a small square in front. It is not ancient, but it is photogenic against a misty sky. Not far away, the Parque do Caracol protects a waterfall that drops more than a hundred metres into a forested canyon, and a path leads to viewpoints, with a long staircase for those who want to see it from below. The surrounding area is full of forest trails, farms and lookouts over the Rio Caí valley.

   The food is distinctly southern: fondue, chocolate, cured meats, and sausage with a German accent, alongside fresh trout and pinhão, the large seed of the araucaria pine, eaten boiled in winter. It is a place where you can eat three desserts in a day without much guilt, since the cool air seems to demand it. German and Italian immigrants shaped the culture of the region, and you will see their influence in architecture, in the cafés and in the local festivals.

   For a motorcyclist, the finish is satisfying. The last part of the Rota Romântica climbs through steep, wooded hills, with bends, short climbs and moments of fog, and the road surface is generally good though it can be slippery after rain. Fog is common, sometimes so thick that you must drop speed sharply, and temperatures can fall quickly after dusk. Weekend and holiday traffic around Canela and Gramado can be heavy, with long queues, so a weekday visit is much more relaxing. If the clouds lift, the view out over the plateau is wonderful.

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