Santa Catarina

The State of Santa Catarina is located in the southern coast of the South Region of Brazil. The first inhabitants to take possession of the place were the Spanish in 1542. The Portuguese arrived there in 1675, and in 1738 they made it a captaincy. The current region of Santa Catarina is inhabited by European immigrants, especially Germans and Italians, who came from the regions of Veneto and Terentino, Astro-Hungarian empire domination. They came mostly in the XIX century, and ran small farms, which led a lot of families to the countryside. Cities like Nova Trento for example and many others have Trentino and Tyrolean architectonic characteristics. They still preserve Austro-Hungarian traditions. Along the coast there a lot of beaches, islands, bays and coves. The Beaches of Florianópolis and Rosa Nova are astonishing, elegant and well known. In the center of the State there are pine forests. In the southwestern region you can find prairies, while in the western region you can still find parts of the rain forest. Santa Catarina is considered the coldest state in Brazil. In the winter it might snow because of the geography. The best time to travel to Santa Catarina is from November through April because it’s sunny and the temperature varies from 20º to 35º Celsius.