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Even if it were not set in such a striking landscape, Diamantina's history would still mark it out from the other cidades históricas. The Portuguese Crown had reason to feel bitter about the gold strikes in Minas Gerais: it had been forced to expend blood and treasure in prising the gold from the hands of the Paulistas, and when diamonds were found here in 1720 the same mistakes were not repeated. Arraial do Tijuco , as Diamantina was called at first, was put under strict military control. People could only come and go with royal passes and the town was isolated for almost a century. This may have something to do with Diamantina's very distinctive atmosphere. Although it has few buildings or churches to rival the masterpieces of Ouro Preto or Congonhas, the passage of time has had little effect on the large colonial centre of the town, which is the least spoilt of any of the cidades históricas. The narrow stone-flagged streets with their overhanging Chinese eaves and perfectly preserved colonial houses are exactly as they have been for generations.

Diamantina takes the mineiro penchant for building on slopes to extremes. Although the Rodoviária is not far from the centre of town, it's on a steep hill, and the only way back to it once in the centre is by taxi (around $3), unless you have the legs and lungs of a mountain goat. The streets are either too narrow or too steep even for Brazil's intrepid local bus drivers. Fortunately the place is small enough for you to get your bearings very quickly. The central square in the old town is Praça Conselheiro Mota , which has the Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio built in the middle of it - everyone calls the cathedral and the square "Sé". Most of the sights and places to stay are within a stone's throw of here.