A PLACE THAT MIXES TOURISM, TRAIN, COFFEE AND FOOTBALL: THE VILLAGE OF PARANAPIACABA

You may never have heard of the small village of Paranapiacaba. Belonging to the Municipality of Santo André, this place served as the base for the construction of the railway line that was being built to take coffee from the interior to the Port of Santos, the São Paulo Railway, by an English company.

For this reason, in Tupi, Paranapiacaba means “Path from where you can see the sea”, as it is the last stopping point before descending the Serra.

The person responsible for and the creator of the construction of the railway was none other than Barão de Mauá, who sought the English company, inaugurating it in 1867.

But for this to be possible, it was necessary to bring all the technology and people capable of putting it into practice. So Paranapiacaba served as a home for all the workers who came to build it, as well as its chief engineer.

Hence, it is possible to understand why the village has an English style, which has somehow managed to be preserved throughout this time, which makes it an interesting place to visit.

Furthermore, it is listed by Municipal, State and Federal Agencies and recognized by UNESCO as being of relevant value to humanity.

The town's points of interest include, for example, the Castle Museum, which was the house of the Chief Engineer of the project, and which is located at one of the highest points, so that he could observe the work in progress.

There is also Casa Fox, a house from the 1930s, which has maintained its original contours where you can see how people lived, the Church, which is at the highest point of the Village and there is a viewpoint where, on clear days, you can see as far as Cubatão.

There is also a “ghost” train that is an abandoned locomotive, the CDARQ, a museum of models that shows the construction of the village’s houses, the bachelors’ shed, the walkway that connects the lower and upper parts of the village, and the Old Market, which today is that variety market of any city that we enjoy visiting to consume the region’s products, such as Cambuci.

By the way, Paranapiacaba is located in a preserved area of ​​Atlantic Forest, and there are several trails for ecotourism lovers, however, it is necessary to hire guides.

But you must be wondering now: what did all this have to do with football?

Well, the illustrious son of one of the São Paulo Railway workers who went to Paranapiacaba was just Charles Miller. His father married a Brazilian woman and he was born here. However, at the age of 10 he was sent to England to study and, by chance, learned to play football.

And today he is known as one of the greatest promoters of the sport in the country, after returning here (to work on the railway) with a pair of football boots, a book of game rules, used uniforms and pumps to inflate balls.

And it is also possible to observe this influence in Vila de Paranapiacaba: its football club, União Lyra-Serrano, founded in 1894, had the first football field with official measurements in the country and today has a memorial to Charles Miller.

Paranapiacaba is definitely a place worth visiting, due to its historical, cultural and ecological value. And you can even do it by train, on the CPTM Tourist Express, which leaves on weekends from Luz Station and uses the railway that was previously built for the transport of coffee.