at a glance

vista alegre is a neighborhood located in the zona norte (north zone), one of rio de janeiro four zones. the bairro (neighborhood) borders the communities of irajá, vila da penha, brás de pina, and cordovil. the neighborhood began as a real estate subdivision in the 1950s called vista alegre, which translates to joyful view.

the development was located between estrada da água grande (big water road), avenida braz de pina (braz de pina avenue) and avenida meriti (meriti avenue). a total of 400 homes were built in the vista alegre development at the time. the 'bairrinho' (little neighborhood) as the area was referred to then, remained surrounded by farms, orchards and a large frog-filled swamp.

although this bairro may be one of rio's smallest, it is home to several significant brazilian institutions. the lona joão bosco cultural center, named after the guitarist joão bosco de freitas mucci, better known as joão bosco, is one of them.