On each day of the official Olympic torch relay, carrying the Olympic flame to the Olympic cauldron in Rio de Janeiro, the Rio2016 Facbeook page is posting brilliant and spectacular images from one of the world’s unique and most beautiful landscapes. Each day until August 5th, we will bring you these stunning images.
On day 68 of the torch relay the torch moved on from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where it spent plenty of time, northeast to the state of Santa Catarina.
The torch began its day in Rio Grande do Sul, travelling through Bento Goncalves and Torres. Bento Goncalves is one of the centers of the Italian immigration in Brazil and is known as the country’s wine capital. It’s population in 2013 was estimated at over 111,000.
From there the torch went east to Torres, which is located on the shoreline of the Rio Tramandal about 250km away. The city is known for being the only beach area in Rio Grande do Sul and for its rocky cliffs located by the sea. Torres receives around 400,000 tourists between the months of December and February as it has become well known as a vacation destination. It only has a population around 30,000, but is known to have about 300,000 inhabitants during the summer months.
The torch then travelled 40 km north to Sombrio, located just past the border going from Rio Grande do Sul to Santa Catarina. Sombrio is a small municipality, known for its lagoon, with less than 30,000 people. It continued north to Ararangua, and finally to Criciuma. Ararangua is known as “A Cidade das Avenidas” (“The City of the Avenues“) because of its wide roads. Criciuma is the center for Brazil’s flooring and home materials industry, and is the second largest center for home materials in the world.
Check out the images from day 68:
Rio2016/Fernando Soutello
Rio2016/Fernando Soutello
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Mourao
Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello
Rio2016/Andre Mourao
Rio2016/Andre Mourao