Rio de Janeiro turns 459 years old today. The Marvelous City, as it is known, is synonymous with warmth and belonging for many people who make a point of declaring their love.
In the midst of everyday problems, the feeling is not only expressed by those born in the city, but also by those who came from outside and found a place to call home in the city. This is the case of cultural producer Denise Argenta, who has lived in Rio for ten years. She came from Galvão, in Santa Catarina, to pursue a doctorate. The producer says that the initial idea was not to stay here.
“I already knew the river from another previous visit, I hadn’t liked the city… and then I fell in love, became enchanted, feeling increasingly curious about this multifaceted and different city. There are problems, it’s a city that we need to know how to get around in… I really like Rio, I’m really in love with the city. Ten years later I continue to walk in awe through the streets, I am immensely amused by the good humor and irreverence of Rio. I still feel like a newcomer. In this city that reinvents itself every day”, he declares.
Another admirer of the Rio way is cultural producer Fernanda Mendes. The Curitiba native’s love affair with Rio de Janeiro began when she met her husband, who is from Rio, when he was walking through Curitiba. Fernanda says that she spent time in Portugal and that she moved to Rio when she found out that she was pregnant and also to be close to her husband, who is a public servant in the city.
“Our son, Pedro, will be five years old on March 16th. He was born here and is the face of Rio. As I was raised in a very cold and rigid city, which is Curitiba, having a son from Rio and living here is liberating, it’s a dream. The city is happy, Rio people know how to have fun. It is very pleasant to be in Rio and live with the people here. It’s really good,” he says.
One of the things that Fernanda likes most about Rio is the countless leisure possibilities.
“There is always a lot happening in Rio. And we pay close attention to everything that is happening culturally in Rio. Every week there is an exhibition, cinema, cultural activities. Or even enjoying a beach, going on a trail… it’s incredible, I love this city so much”, he concludes.
Rio de Janeiro has countless curious stories, starting with the name itself. The Portuguese explorer Gaspar Lemos, when he arrived here in 1502, thought that Guanabara Bay was the mouth of a river, and as it was January, he named it Rio de Janeiro. After decades of struggle, the Portuguese managed to expel the French, who had wanted to dominate the region since the beginning of the century, in 1560. The foundation was made official with the arrival of Estácio de Sá, nephew of governor Mem de Sá, on March 1, 1565.