Nova Friburgo, Brazil Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

NOVA FRIBURGO , an attractive town of 90,000 people, lies in a valley surrounded by mountains to the northeast of Teresópolis. It was founded by a hundred Swiss immigrant families from the canton of Fribourg, transferred to the region by royal decree in 1818, and whose only other activity of note was that they introduced the first sauna into Brazil. The Germanic influence remains, principally in the architecture of the town’s Conego area. During the summer, Nova Friburgo’s many hotels and campsites are brimming with city folk who come to enjoy the waterfalls and wooded trails or take on the … more »