See the calmer side of Brazil in Ouro Preto

Travellers in Brazil can usually expect quite a frantic, frenzied experience.

The crowds, noise and heat of cities such as Rio and Sao Paulo can sometimes be more than a little overwhelming.

However, for visitors to the country who want to experience a calmer, more laid-back Brazil, the mountain town of Ouro Preto, or Black Gold, is where they should head.

The temperature is cooler and less humid here than other parts of the country.

It is around 250 miles north from Rio de Janeiro and is now a Unesco world heritage site.

Seeped in history, it was the focal point of Brazil's gold rush, and was a fashionable, vibrant centre at the heart of the country's success in the 18th century.

With an old European atmosphere, cobbled streets and colonial architecture, the town has some of the oldest and most beautiful churches in the country.

An unusual tradition involving the churches' many statues of saints has evolved in the town, which involves decorating them with the teeth and hair of dead humans.

Outside the town is a disused gold mine where visitors can travel 120 metres underground on a steep, rackety trolley, through a small dark shaft. It is a bit iffy, but also quite fun and is thought to be the only one you can visit in South America.

A few hours' drive away is the Caraça National Park, home to the Caraça Mountains and maned wolf.

In 1770, a monk founded a church here which later became the Our Lady Mother of Men church, and priests have been living here ever since.

Inside the church, which was Brazil's first neo-gothic building, you can see the embalmed body of a martyred Roman soldier, St Pius Martyr.

Today basic, monastic-style accommodation is available near the church, and visitors and priests eat together in a communal dining hall.

Every night, you can join the priests who gather outside the church, to help feed the wolves that come to the church door.

By day you can trek to one of the many waterfalls in the park and swim in their cold, deep pools, alternatively you can visit the Centenário Cavern, a 11,155ft quartz cave, reputedly the largest in the world.

Ouro Preto is easily accessible from any trip along the coastal routes, or can be used as a stopover en-route to the interior of the country. Either way, it will provide some well needed rest and relaxation from the rest of your Brazilian trip.

For more information see the Ouro Preto official website.

Francesca Elliott