The Serra Gaúcha stands 100km northwest of Porto Alegre. The wooded landscape, strewn with waterfalls and cliffs, offers terrain particularly suitable for walkers (like the Parque de Ferradura). Gramado, a small town where German and Italian colonists settled, constitutes the ideal base for touring around the region. Its houses bear a surprising similarity to mountain chalets! Many Brazilians come here in winter (June to August), hoping to see a few snowflakes.