Castello Trevizzo Restaurant

Two restaurants of Santa Felicidade catch your attention for their architecture, the Siciliano Restaurant (with its facade imitating a Roman ruin) and the Castello Trevizzo.

Administered by the Trevisan family, who works in the restaurant business for over 55 years, the Castello Trevizzo Restaurant was inaugurated in October 23rd, 1991 and works within the standards of Santa Felicidade which means Italian food. It is very popular for wedding receptions.

Winged lion of Via Veneto

The photo shows a sculpture at the top of a structure that marks the beginning of Via Veneto, which leads to the Santa Felicidade, a stronghold of Italian gastronomy in Curitiba. The sculpture was commissioned by former Mayor Rafael Greca. The plaque at the base of munumento brings some explanations, but can not find the photo I took the board to bridge the information here. When I find, I'll update the post.

The Casa dos Arcos

The Casa dos Arcos (or the house of arches) was built in 1895 to be the home of the Italian immigrant Marco Mocelin. In 1918 it was bought by the family Tulio. It is the only building in Curitiba with a frontel arcade on the ground floor. The top floor was reserved for housing. It is protected by the historic heritage of Curitiba.

The Casa dos Arcos today is a very traditional restaurant in Santa Felicidade, with a menu focused on pizza, pasta and meats.

São José Church at Santa Felicidade

In 1891, due to the strong religiosity of the Italian immigrants, it was erected the São José Church at Santa Felicidade, becoming an important aggregator element of the Italian community that was estabilished at Santa Felicidade district. The facade presents romantic and classical elements, with the campanile (bell tower) separated from the nave, according to Italian tradition.

Northwest view of Curitiba from the observatory

This direction presents us the districts of Butiatuvinha, Lamenha Pequena, Mercês, Santa Felicidade.

The first references to Butiatuvinha district appear recorded in the minutes of City Council of March 9th 1782 referring to a bridge to be built over the river Barigui. Around 1931, the region was occupied by farmers and it was crossed by important routes used by drovers. In 1878, the first Italian immigrants occupied 15 lots.

The Lamenha Pequena district was founded in 1876 and it was named in honor of then President of the Province Adolpho Lamenha Lins. The region was divided into 139 lots occupied by 643 Polish settlers. The history of the district, from 1878, blends with the neighboring districts Santa Felicidade and Butiatuvinha.

Mercês is a word originating from Latin and means grace, benefit or protection. The choice of this word to be the district's name comes from the religion of its inhabitants who used to made processions in devotion to Our Lady of Mercês. On June 28, 1926 began the construction of the Mercês Church - completed in 1929.

Santa Felicidade received a large number of settlers from the north of Italy, especially from Veneto and Trento. Today it is an important gastronomical center, with lots of restaurants of Italian cuisine, in addition to many wineries and craft shops. The district was named after a former owner of land in the region in the nineteenth century, the Portuguese Felicidade Borges.

Italian Immigration to Curitiba

In Curitiba, the Italians immigrate since 1872, settling as farmers in various colonial cores of the region. These cores have led to the current districts of Pilarzinho, Água Verde, Umbará and Santa Felicidade, among others.

Today, their descendants play an important role in all areas in Curitiba. Santa Felicidade District is known for the preservation of Italian culture in Curitiba, especially gastronomy.

Rua das Flores

A friend said that her city is best expressed by its streets - the stores, the bars, the restaurants, the people, and just walking around.

I believe that every resident of Curitiba has its own definition of the city. For me, Curitiba is defined by its climate (undefined and almost always cold), its squares and parks, for Sunday lunch at Santa Felicidade Italian district and the Rua das Flores (or Rua XV de Novembro, or simply the Calçadão).

The backbone of Curitiba is the Rua das Flores. The XV was the first street in Brazil in which a large portion (from Osório Square to Santos Andrade Square) was devoted exclusively to pedestrians. In it, people just pass by, enjoy the view, work and shop.