at a glance

in the 20th century the region was commonly known as 'the town of gemstones'(bairro das pedras preciosa) after the rocha miranda family ordered the allotment of the district and opened several street named after precious stones.

the neighborhood is predominantly residential, with several points of interest spread throughout. the main public square in rocha miranda is the praça oito de maio (square of the 8th of may), located on avenida dos italianos (avenua of the italians). it was established inth 1940s, under the rule of mayor henrique dodsworth, to commemorate the italian campaign of the brazilian troops during the second world war - for this pupose an obelisk was errected on the square.

also located on the square is the historic building of the old cinema guaraci, designed by the architect alcides rocha miranda in the 1950s, who combined art deco and art nouveau styles. film rio has been campaigning for the restauration of the cinema for a number of years.