To Chapecó, situated in the southern Brazil, many entrepreneurs and students from the whole country are attracted by modern architecture, blossoming industry and many universities. The city, even though it was founded relatively recently, has also an interesting offer for tourists and is a perfect starting point for trips for lovers of rest at the bosom of nature.
Until the 19th century, a region surrounding current Chapecó was inhabited by native tribes of South America and several Spaniards. There had been constant battles for that territory, until finally in 1882 a Brazilian military colony was set up there. Only in 1997 that area was granted a status of municipality, and it was given to a private colonial company. It started to sell land to new owners – mainly to inhabitants of a neighbouring state Rio Grande do Sul, as well as to immigrants from Italy, Germany or Poland. Nowadays, the surroundings of the city favour development of industry, for instance, meat one, machine or IT.
In the central part of the city, by the cathedral of St. Anthony, there is situated Monumento Desbravador, a monument in the honour of first settlers. To get to know better the history of colonization, it is worth to go to Museu da Colonização de Chapecó. Fans of active leisure, should visit Ecoparque, where there is sport equipment as well as playgrounds. From the city you can easily get to, for instance, located in a distance of 25 kilometres a valley of the river Uruguay. Picturesque views and well-developed infrastructure will make families with kids have great fun there.
Regional cuisine of Santa Catarina is characterized by Italian and German influences. Thanks to that in menu of restaurants you can find, apart from steaks typical for Brazil, also lasagne or other dishes with pasta, as well as exquisite wines. Usual position in menu is, for instance, arroz carreteiro based on meat, rice, tomatoes, onion and mix of herbs. It is also worth to try barreado, very popular stew that is cooked for 18 hours and served with rice, cassava or fried bananas. In the city you can find great restaurants with rich menu. We recommend Galpao Grill Steak House, Spettus or Cantina Galpao, that serve both local and Italian cuisine.
