The small town of PENEDO is 14km away from Itatiaia and connected by regular buses. Penedo was settled in 1929 by Finnish immigrants, and today much is made of this heritage, despite the fact that only a tiny minority of the population are of Finnish origin. Nevertheless, Finnish dances are performed every Saturday night at the Clube Finlandia, and the Museu Finlandês da Dona Eva at Av. das Mangueiras 2601 (Mon-Fri 1-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 9am-3pm) has displays of documents, photos and furniture relating to Finnish immigration in the region.

The town is popular with weekenders from São Paulo and Rio, who come for the horse riding and to buy the various jams, preserves and local liquors which are produced here. It's also a good place to visit if you like saunas, since most hotels have one. It's usually easy to find a place to stay - there are dozens of hotels in and near Penedo, though few real budget places.

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 Pequena Suécia at Rua Toivo Suni (phone 024/351-1275; $35-50) is an excellent choice, and also features a fine Swedish restaurant; a more basic option is the Rio das Pedras at Rua Resende 39 (phone 024/351-1019; $20-35). Most people eat at their hotels, but in town it's worth trying the excellent Finnish-inspired open sandwiches at the Restaurante Skandinávia, Av. das Mangueiras 2631.

  Rio de Janeiro guide

  Rio de Janeiro
  Brief history
  State
  Travel details
  Warning
  Orientation: Centro,
    Zona Sul, Zona Norte
  Getting around
Nightlife
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  Rio Gay
  Best of Rio
  Info
 Favelas
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 Carnaval
Eating and drinking:
    Churrascarias, vegetarian
For eating in Brazil, read also:
Eating & drinking
     Street foods,
     snacks
     Restaurants
     Vegetarian/natural
     Soft drinks, hot
     drinks 

Rio pictures 1
Rio pictures 2
and see also

Pictures of Rio by
Thereza Eugenia

Pictures of Brazil by
Cecilia dos Guimaraes
Bastos
 

Zona Sul

 Buzios

Buzios Town and its beaches
Restaurants
Eating options
Getting there
Getting around
Climate and travel info
Buzios Beaches
  Buzios Beaches 2
Buzios Scuba Diving
  Buzios Golf
 Buzios Stones St and
    night life
Ecotourism
Hotels in Buzios