If you’re a good novelist, I’m sure you were moved by the scene in which Zefa Leonel, played by Andrea Beltrão, finds a shiny Paraiba tourmaline in the ‘Blue Grotto’, which, in the plot, is located in the fictional town of ‘Lasca Fogo’.
The city doesn’t exist in real life. On the other hand, the cave is a 2-hour drive from the capital of São Paulo and you can visit it. The disused quarry is a major tourist attraction in the region and enchants visitors with carp swimming in the crystal-clear lake inside. You can also go pedal bo ating here.
Where is the Blue Grotto, anyway?
The cave used in the scene from the soap opera is actually called grotto of the Angels and is located in the city of Socorro, in the interior of São Paulo. The region attracts many tourists who want to see the beauty of the rock formation, which is made up of large galleries and is 3,000 m² in size. In other words, there’s plenty to explore there! We can’t promise that you’ll find a Paraiba tourmaline like in the soap opera, but you’ll certainly have a lot of fun.
The area can be visited in two ways: on foot or using the pedal boats available on site. Swimming is not allowed, as in some stretches the depth can reach up to 4 meters. Despite this, much of the cave is artificially illuminated to help visitors.
Visit the cave!
Did you want to visit this incredible tourist spot that appeared in the soap opera? Access to the underground area is via Estrada Socorro, Km3 – Munhos. Visits take place from Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Admission is R$54, . Children under six don’t pay.
Finally, it’s worth remembering that Socorro is a town full of attractions, such as camping and UTV tours. So it’s worth setting aside a weekend to visit the ‘Blue Grotto’ – or rather the ‘Angels’ Grotto’ – and its surroundings.