The New York Times published a couple of years ago The Other Brazil: Minas Gerais. The daily calls the state, the second more populated in the country, “rural heartland”. The author, Seth Kugel, writes:
I think too many foreign travelers miss: the Brazil that lies beyond the Christ on the hill in Rio, the eco-lodges of the Amazon and the model-flecked beaches of Florianópolis. Instead of a cross on a hill, Minas has colonial towns loaded with Baroque-style churches. Instead of vast rain forests, Minas has gorgeous mountains and countless waterfalls. And instead of beaches, it’s the home of a country cooking style famed across this nation of more than 190 million.
http://mirantesmt.com/2011/05/29/diamantina-2/
http://mirantesmt.com/2011/05/23/santa-rita-de-jacutinga-hidden-eco-paradise-in-south-minas-gerais-brazil/
hiking at Ibitipoca State Park, famous for its quartzite caves, natural pools, waterfalls, special rock formations, great views and typical fauna and flora.
http://mirantesmt.com/2011/08/31/ibitipoca-hiking-south-of-minas-gerais-brazil/
From Brazil Travel Blog – Historical cities and also Mariana, Belo Horizonte, Inhotim