The artists’ hill
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Perched on a hill above downtown, Santa Teresa is a string of cobbled lanes, colonial mansions, artists’ studios and bars with bay views. The little yellow tram, the bondinho, climbs up from downtown over the Lapa arches.
In the 19th century, wealthy families moved to this cooler hill, away from downtown’s epidemics. Neglected in the 20th century, the area drew artists and intellectuals who made it Rio’s bohemian quarter, with open studios and museums such as the Chácara do Céu.
