The Serra Gaúcha (''Gaucho Highlands'') is a

cultural region In anthropology and geography, a cultural area, cultural region, cultural sphere, or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associa ...

comprising the mountainous areas in the northeastern portion of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...

state in southern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Most of its inhabitants are of German and Italian ancestry. Consequently, the cities in the Serra Gaúcha reflect German and Italian influences through their architecture, gastronomy, and culture. Geographically, it is part of the Serra Geral mountain range. Several tourist routes run through the most picturesque cities of the Serra Gaúcha, particularly the Rota Romântica, following the tracks of German colonization; the Italian-flavored Caminhos da Colônia; the

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

Rota da Uva e o Vinho; and the Região das Hortênsias, landscaped with beautiful

hydrangea ''Hydrangea'' ( or ) is a genus of more than 70 species of Flowering plant, flowering plants native plant, native to Asia and the Americas. Hydrangea is also used as the common name for the genus; some (particularly ''Hydrangea macrophylla, H. m ...

s (''"hortênsias" in Portuguese''). The hot springs in Nova Prata are also one of the region's tourist highlights. The most important cities among the 75 municipalities of the Serra Gaúcha are Caxias do Sul, Bento Gonçalves,

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as (). In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as () or (). 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. H ...

Farroupilha Farroupilha is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the Serra Gaúcha between the cities of Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul, Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul. The city's total area is 359.3 km2. Farroupilha has 73,061 residents ...

, Gramado, Canela, Veranópolis, Nova Prata, Vacaria, Nova Petrópolis, Flores da Cunha and Carlos Barbosa.

History

The region was settled by European

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

during the 19th century.

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

started arriving in 1824 and

Italians Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...

in 1875. Germans settled in the lowlands, close to river springs, while Italians populated the highlands. As a result, the region has a unique blend of German and Italian cultures, reflected in the local architecture and cuisine. Several small towns resemble German villages from centuries ago, but on a backdrop of luscious subtropical rainforest and araucarias. Many Brazilians in the region still speak

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, mainly the

Riograndenser Hunsrückisch Hunsrik (natively ''Hunsrik'' , ''Hunsrückisch'' or ''Hunsrickisch'' and Portuguese ''hunsriqueano'' or ''hunsriqueano riograndense''), also called Riograndese Hunsrik, ' or ', is a Moselle Franconian language derived primarily from the Hunsr� ...

dialect. In the towns settled by Italian immigrants, wine production is considered an important component of the local culture and vineyards can be seen everywhere. The city of Caxias do Sul celebrates the region's wine heritage during the Festa da Uva festival. Italian culture is still very strong in the community, and it's not rare to hear locals speaking Northern-Italian

Talian dialect Talian (, ), or Brazilian Venetian, or Vêneto is a Venetian dialect spoken primarily in the Serra Gaúcha region in the northeast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, as well as in other parts of Rio Grande do Sul, and in parts of Esp� ...

External links

*
Serra Gaúcha website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20061106131951/http://www.gramado.com/ * http://www.novapratars.com.br * https://web.archive.org/web/20090927190150/http://www.gramado.art.br/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Serra Gaucha Landforms of Rio Grande do Sul Gaucha