I have several posts on Brazil and its cities and for some reason Cravinhos and Franca was left with little or nothing. As it is part of my dots on the world map , I decided to give it a post of its own. Hope you enjoy inland Sao Paulo State of Brazil. Therefore, let me update this older post for you and me. I will introduce you to meet new cities and new ambiances in Cravinhos and Franca in the State of Sao Paulo.
Little Cravinhos , is located 18 km from the bigger town of Ribeirão Preto and 296 km from the big capital city of São Paulo. I came here by car on the road SP-330 of the State of Sao Paulo. Passing visiting the real countryside and mingling with the locals I stayed at the nice city hotel Onyx Inn Hotel right off the road or Rodovia Anhaguera -SP-330 exit 295. The hotel arriving at night was nice spacious friendly and a good restaurant for a bountiful breakfast. More on the Onyx hotel webpage: http://www.onixhotelcravinhos.com.br/
First a bit of history I like on Cravinhos.
Cravinhos is in the state of São Paulo. In 1876, the Cravinhos farm was bought by the Querino brothers because it is a fruitful region for coffee planting. The red dirt on the land here was a magnet from families from as far as Rio de Janeiro to settled here and cultivate the coffee of wonderful aroma we can see and taste today .The name Cravinhos comes from the Cravina flower ,the fact that on such a farm there was a plantation of carnations, small carnations; which were found in large quantities at the Cravinhos Farm beds and in the region. In 1893, Cravinhos was created as a district in the town of Ribeirão Preto. It was dismembered from Ribeirão Preto in 1897, and installed the following year as a coffee village.
The city of Cravinhos on its history in Portuguese : http://www.cravinhos.sp.gov.br/cidade/conteudo/historia-da-cidade
The Brazil Tourist Guide on Cravinhos in Portuguese: https://www.guiadoturismobrasil.com/cidade/SP/70/cravinhos
From Cravinhos , we continue to almost the Minas Gerais State line and visit the wonderful town of Franca in the State of Sao Paulo with its great artificial lake.
We came to Franca by car on the road SP-334 named Candido Portinari road. And we went straight for the artificial lake beach rather nice and empty but in season it is packed. We had lunch at the Restaurante Barraçao right across from the lake beach. We had the buffet all you can eat churrasqueria with plenty of meats and a nice brahma beer to boot, just lazy living at its best! They have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Barrac%C3%A3o-Restaurante/398811333608912
A bit of history I like on Franca.
Franca ,the region history tell us was called Sertão do Capim Mimoso near the Pardo and Sapucaí rivers begins with the pioneers starting with the flag of Anhanguera (the son), in 1722, who built the Caminho de Goiás, or Estrada dos Goiases or roads that connected the city of São Paulo to the gold mines of Goiás, which at that time belonged to the Captaincy of São Paulo. From then on, the famous landings of tropeiros (cattle ranchers cowboys) began to emerge, places where the Paulistas (folks from Sao Paulo city ) stopped to rest there and the pack animals during the trips they made in their search for gold in the interior of Brazil. The landing that gave rise to the city of Franca was known, at the time, by the bandeirantes (explorers bounty hunters ), for “Pouso dos Bagres” or well of Bagres.
In 1819, Franca was visited by the French naturalist Auguste de Saint-Hilaire . In 1821, king Dom João VI created the “Vila Franca Del Rey”, which was only installed on November 28, 1824. In 1856, Franca is elevated to the category of town. Franca participated in the Paraguayan War with the Franca Volunteers and also engaged during the Constitutionalist Revolution of 1932. Franca has an altitude close to 1,040 meters, and for a long time was known as Cidade das Três Colinas (the city of three hills) because it developed under three hills, that of Estação, Centro and Colina da Santa Rita, which are separated by the main streams of the city. Also in Praça Nossa Senhora da Conceição square is the mother church of the city. The construction of the Cathedral of Nossa Senhora da Conceição started in 1898 and was opened for worship in 1913 and restored in 1980. It is located in the city center. The town also has a nice park with benches and full of shops and restaurants around it .However, the thing here is to head for the beach and just laid low; this is inland Sao Paulo State nothing to do with the capital city of the same name.
The city of Franca on its history in Portuguese : https://www.franca.sp.gov.br/noticias/desenvolvimento/apresentacao-historia
The Brazil tourist guide on Franca in Portuguese: https://www.guiadoturismobrasil.com/cidade/SP/78/franca
And there you go folks, another dandy in my world map and many souvenirs of friendly encounters in inland Brazil. Life is slower but more fun in the countryside. Hope you enjoy the road warrior trip to Cravinhos and Franca in Sao Paulo State of Brazil.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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