Porto Alegre, Brazil Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

The capital of Rio Grande do Sul, PORTO ALEGRE , lies on the eastern bank of the Rio Guaiba, at the point where five rivers converge to form the Lagoa dos Patos , a giant freshwater lagoon navigable by even the largest of ships. Founded in 1755 as a Portuguese garrison, to guard against Spanish encroachment into this part of the empire, it wasn’t until Porto Alegre became the port for the export of beef that it developed into Brazil’s leading commercial centre south of São Paulo. With a rather uninteresting feel to it, like a cross between a southern European and a North American city, most people will … more »