Sabará

Sabará's churches drive home the enormous wealth of Minas Gerais during the gold-rush days. In this former colonial town, today a sprawling Belo Horizonte suburb of 140,000, historic buildings are scattered about, but signs at Praça Santa Rita point to all the major attractions. The interiors of the baroque churches are rich with gold-leaf paneling. As in most colonial towns all the churches are closed on Monday. This makes for a fun half-day trip from Belo.