Given its unmistaken Swiss-German origins –and even British– if we take a closer look at the lovely Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes or at some of the finest buildings and purely Italian or Transalpine restaurants, it’s not that hard to understand why this Brazilian city is now all the rage as a destination of choice, featuring a number of allures for travelers coming from this part of Europe, yet without moving out of South America.

Over a million travelers visit Canela every year, with the most significant landmark being the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, located in the heart of the town and whose most distinctive element is its 65-meter-tall steeple that can be made out from any corner of the city. A dozen bronze-cast bells brought straight from Italy have traditionally given both residents and tourists the time of the day. Anyway, the most remarkable thing about this religious building is its genuine gothic style, seen by many as an architectural whim of the location. A mild climate, provided by the higher grounds and the natural environment, lets visitors stroll unhurriedly around every nook and cranny of town. There are countless pastry stores and ice cream parlors along the way, as well as food joints and small bistros serving great Brazilian, Italian and German cuisine. In addition, Asian gastronomy has caught on rapidly –Japanese, Thai and Chinese– not to mention eateries that dish out shellfish specialties. These are no doubt lovely places to lay over and reload on moxie. The Joao Correa Square is a must-see. It harbors the Santa Claus House and the Municipal Theater, a cultural locale that stages presentations by puppet companies, live music performances and other expressions of the performing arts, including a varied programming for children. There are also great attractions for family travelers, like Maria Fumaza’s well-known train, a historic gem represented by a locomotive and a strip of railroad that used to hook the town with the neighboring city of Taquara, also home to a magnificent Information Desk for visitors. Not far from there, the House of Stone stands tall. This is an architectural compound featuring movie theaters, exhibition areas and concert halls very much in sync with Canela’s cultural lifestyle. Caracol Park This is a beautiful spot just a few minutes away from Canela that boasts a breathtakingly plentiful waterfall of nearly 131 meters tall in the middle of sensational landscape. There’s an ecological watchtower equipped with platforms that overlook the pit, a panoramic elevator, a cable cart, restaurants, a souvenir and handcraft store, a clubhouse with hunting ropes and climbing gear, plus a few trails that slither all the way down to the great pond where the waterfall lands –a nice place for birdwatching and botany enthusiasts. The Flor del Valle (Valley Flower) Distillery: An Unforgettable Stroll We have now slid down the Gaucha Sierra, on the Morro Calzado road and we’re less than five miles from Canela, with an old farmhouse in sight. Visitors now have the chance of leaving their cars in the parking lot and walk down the rustic staircase in the middle of the surrounding woods. This is the place that produces a famous eau de vie in homemade facilities where sugarcane is washed, ground and siphoned into fermenting drums –a decisive process to achieve top-quality brew before the ancient process in copper distillers begins. The Flor del Valle eau de vie is split in differentiated lots for their aging, stored in 700-lt barrels of Jequitiba Rosa, Mani, Castano and Grapia that give it its very special and distinctive touch, bouquet and fragrance that turn this spirit into a legitimate symbol of Rio Grande do Sul.