Paraty

A UNESCO World Heritage site, the colonial town of Paraty is a charming port founded by the Portuguese in the 17th century. Its cobblestoned streets are lined with beautifully preserved Dutch and Portuguese colonial houses with massive wooden doors, tiled facades and intricate metal work. As the town has become a popular tourist spot, charming boutiques and cafés have opened alongside the historic churches. Be sure to walk along the dock to see the painted fishing boats. For those who can’t bear to leave, consider signing up for a class at the wonderful cooking school that is run by a chef who trained at the Ritz Escoffier in Paris as well as in Boston, where she hosted a PBS-WGBH cooking program before returning to Brazil. She opened the Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures in Paraty in 2003 and offerings range from half-day cooking demonstrations to five-day culinary tours.