Colonial Roots Tour - A beautiful walk through where Gramado began

History, culture and lots of fun.

Whenever we talk about the South and especially the Serra Gaúcha, we joke that it doesn't even look like Brazil.
But this is because the region is a beautiful cultural mosaic, formed by years and years of European immigration.
There's nothing better than the colonial roots tour to immerse ourselves in this history.

Italians, Germans, Swiss, French and, of course, Gauchos, built this region together with a lot of sweat, commitment and history that cannot be forgotten.
Generations and generations more have been raised in this part of Brazil, which has made a point of guarding this treasure, turning the South into a unique and highly sought-after place for tourism.

All of this is due to the rich cultural heritage that Europeans have left in their wake, which is precisely why the Serra Gaucha is a little piece of Europe in our country, and it only takes a visit to the city to clearly see this in its architecture and especially its gastronomy.

The Colonial Roots Tour

The tour starts at the Estação Jardineira de Gramado, right in the city center, and lasts an average of 5 hours.
Departures take place on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30 AM. I took the tour with Brocker tourismThe tour costs R$149.00 per person.
Remember that this figure refers to today's date, February 2018, and is subject to change.

It was one of the tours I enjoyed most in the city, where I got to know a completely different Gramado from the one I used to know! I had the pleasure of meeting incredible people, learning sensational stories and seeing wonderful landscapes.

As soon as we arrived at the station and got on the bus, we were given a hat to get us in the mood, wow! I love tours like this, super lively with an exciting guide! I put mine on straight away and listened to the guide talk about every detail.

The tour I took took in the new line and the beautiful line.

Centenary house.

As the name implies, it's a century-old house and it was in this beautiful house that we made our first stop. It shows exactly what the buildings were like at the beginning of the colonization of Gramado.
The guide tells us what every part of the house was used for, starting with the stone cellar.
It was there that they preserved food, wine and drinks in general, and the stone was very important in this preservation process, keeping everything cold inside.

The rest of the house is made of wood and at the front there was a space under the house where the animals were kept, taking advantage of the warmest part of the house. Visiting this house was a lot of fun! After listening to all the stories, we went to the places where the animals are today.

I fed some, petted others and all I could think about was my little one! He loves farms and animals like these more than anything.

Cavichion Mill

There we saw one of the coolest presentations I've ever seen! A complete story told with a lot of fervor. Maristela, who is responsible for the show, humorously recounts her family's history from the time of colonization to the present day.

How the settlers suffered, you see. A lot of work in strange lands, with nostalgia and uncertainty, but they fought bravely to get where they are and are a source of pride for their families.

The performance was wonderful and moving, I was able to experience a bit of my family while she sang the whole story. What a woman of incredible energy!

At the end of the presentation, we tasted some colonial sweets and snacks produced by them.

Of course I took a few things, all very tasty and fresh.

Before heading to the next stop, we left the house to see the typical Italian windmill, which I thought was beautiful!
European scenery, I couldn't help myself and took lots of photos - after all, it's not every day that you see an almost century-old mill in Brazil! It was built in 1920.

The Marcon family and the production of mate.

This was our third stop, where we followed the process of making the yerba mate that makes chimarrão.

I loved the experience, because as well as having the opportunity to see the whole process of yerba mate production, I also learned how to prepare a typical chimarrão and tasted the delicacy.

I'm not at all gaucho, but I was dying to know how the drink was prepared, how the herb fit so perfectly in the gourd and so on.

Of course, in addition to the matcha herbs on display, lots of delicious food is available for sale. We also tried some delicious candied fruit, and at every stop we were tempted not to take everything we saw.

Fiorezze Rural Museum

This is our fourth and penultimate stop on the Colonial Roots tour. We were greeted by the very cheerful Mr. Nelson! He made a point of welcoming us with blessings and smiles.

Jokes are also part of his repertoire and it's often impossible not to burst out laughing.
Right from the start, he told us that his collection began unpretentiously at the age of 12 and when he saw it he had a lot of rarities in his collection.

Today we can see real relics in its museum, and the one that caught my eye the most was an old toilet.

People, how we used to go to the "throne" and what's more, how we used to clean ourselves. lol

Weapons, cameras and many other artifacts are part of the museum, and it's nice to immerse yourself in the objects and think about what it would have been like back then.

As soon as we left the museum, I went to the little shop and bought a cinnamon liqueur, which I found very light and tasty. It's a great gift to bring back to the family.

Foss Family

The colonial roots tour ends in a wonderful Italian feast with lots of delicious food at the colonial café served by Dona Zulmira.

I thought it was the cutest thing in the world, the whole family in front of the house welcoming us with music and even little Foss was part of the reception.

But I was really looking forward to tasting the goodies that were waiting for us.

Mrs. Zulmira came in bringing us a loaf of warm, freshly baked bread and cutting off the bottom, saying that whoever eats this part is lucky! I didn't think twice and took exactly that piece, how delicious!!!

Grape juice, cakes and cold cuts are all part of the colonial café, and a delicious cuca made me put on a few pounds too! Even the butter is tastier. I stopped myself from buying all the products in the Foss family shop, but I ended up bringing home a salami, hihih.

Hey, calm down, it's not over! They closed with a bang and lots of music, La Bella Polenta and everyone dancing in the hall.

The walk I enjoyed most in Gramado!

I fell completely in love with the Colonial Roots tour, I want to do the other routes! And of course, take my little one to enjoy it too.

There's no doubt that this is a tour that should be on every traveler's itinerary.

Although it lasts a long time, it doesn't last all day and there's so much to eat that it serves as lunch, which makes it good value for money!

Useful information

• Children under 5 don't pay
• Children aged 6 to 10 get a 50% discount.
• The tour has a minimum of 8 passengers and if not, it can be canceled with a refund.
• The colonial roots tour can be done in vans, minibuses or buses.
• Tours may be altered or canceled due to weather conditions or force majeure factors preventing the activity.

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