Covered region: Itapetininga, Campina do Monte Alegre e São Miguel Arcanjo.

Surrounded by miles of scenic roads, steeped in history and tradition, Itapetininga is the third-largest city in the state by land area. During the gold cycle, its location along a key transit route attracted merchants and tropeiros (muleteers) who crossed the Rio Itapetininga via the Ponte dos Tropeiros bridge between the 16th and 17th centuries. These routes played a central role in the official founding of the municipality in 1770, underscoring its potential as an authentic backdrop for period productions.

In the surrounding area, the Ruínas do Casarão do Registro Velho ruins offer a glimpse into the region’s earliest colonial architecture. Once a waystation for expeditionary troops, the site is a significant historical landmark, closely tied to the municipality’s origins and an ideal source of inspiration for historical narratives. The fertile soil of Itapetininga, which attracted immigrants—primarily Portuguese and Italian—in the 19th century, also played a key role in shaping its identity.

Among its architectural highlights is the Catedral Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres, a Roman-style church that is regarded as a scale model of the Santuário Nacional de Aparecida shrine. Designed by Benedito Calixto de Jesus Neto in the 1940s and completed in the 1960s, the 2,700 sq m sanctuary features an octagonal dome, three central arches, and warm yellow lighting, all of which make for striking visuals.

Itapetininga also serves as an educational center, with over forty institutions, including the Etec Agrícola Professor Edson Galvão. Spanning roughly 968 hectares, the school’s architecture blends neocolonial and rural styles, featuring a distinctive yellow color and Portuguese tiles. Within the campus, one finds ruined barns, picturesque in their state of decay, overgrown with vegetation and covered in graffiti, adding to its visual appeal.

In the city’s urban center, the Escola Estadual Peixoto Gomide school was designed in the late 19th century by Francisco de Paula Ramos de Azevedo. This building features a symmetrical façade, a triangular pediment, and an interior with striking wooden structures, including distinctive arch-lined corridors.

The city’s industrial past and its legacy as a railway hub are also preserved in places like the Galpões da Antiga Oficina FEPASA. These masonry buildings, though timeworn, serve as tangible records of the region’s economic and social development.

Taking the Maestro Benedito Pompeu rural road, which offers sweeping landscape views, one reaches the city of São Miguel Arcanjo. Founded in 1889, this city is known for its grape cultivation and is home to expansive vineyards of Niagara Guzman grapes, a testament to the region’s winemaking tradition.

The Parque Turístico EQUUS is a unique destination that combines equestrian activities with striking architecture. Wood is featured prominently in structures such as the triangular chapel, the stable, and the shop, while the riding arena—surrounded by rural vegetation—is one of its central highlights.

Also nearby, Campina do Monte Alegre emerges as another ready-made film setting. Granted municipal status in 1991, the town lies between the Itapetininga and Paranapanema rivers and traces its origins to a former colonial land-concession system called sesmarias. Its heritage includes the Casa de Cultura João Ventura, a colonial-style building with a blue-and-white façade, wooden doors, and a collection related to the 1932 Revolution. The surrounding scenery includes the Cachoeira do Salto waterfall and the Rio Paranapanema, known for their impressive stone cliffs.

Located a short 160 kilometers from the São Paulo capital, Itapetininga and its surroundings offer a wide range of settings, from historical backdrops to locations suitable for contemporary or commercial productions, all supported by a logistical infrastructure that provides streamlined and simplified on-location shoots.