Western Rio de Janeiro

Almost half of the municipal area of Rio de Janeiro is in what is referred to as the

Zona Oeste

(the West Zone). On the coast, this stretches from Barra da

Tijuca past a whole succession of surf beaches such as

Prainha

and

Grumari, not accessible by public transport, but attracting heavy traffic at weekends. Further west still are the

Barra de Guaratiba

and

Pedra de Guaratiba

beaches and, finally, those at

Sepetiba

. This stunning coastal road is becoming obliterated by executive housing developments, so visit soon.

Sítio Roberto Burle Marx

, was, from 1949 to 1994, the home of the great Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994), world famous as a landscape designer and artist. His projects achieved a rare harmony between nature, architecture and man-made landscapes. He created many schemes in Brazil and abroad; in Rio alone his work includes the Parque do Flamengo, the pavements of the Avenida Atlântica in Copacabana, Praça Júlio de Noronha in Leme, the remodelling of the Largo da Carioca, the gardens of the Museu Nacional de Belas-Artes and of the Biblioteca Nacional and the complex at the Santa Teresa tram station near the Catedral Metropolitana.

Covering 350,000 sq m, the estate contains an estimated 3500 species of plants, mostly Brazilian. It is run now by the

Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional

and one of its main aims is to produce seedlings of the plants in its collection. Also on view are Burle Marx's collection of paintings, ceramics, sculptures and other objets d'art, plus examples of his own designs and paintings. The library houses 2500 volumes on botany, architecture and landscape design.

This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF

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