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Rang

White walls, coloured frames

Paraty

A colonial port between forest and sea, where every house is white and every door and window frame is a bright colour.

Paraty from the bay (Brazil).
Photo: Lampiao3, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Why Paraty is limewash white

Paraty lies on the coast between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, backed by forested mountains. In the 18th century it was the port from which gold from the mines of the interior was shipped to Rio, and later it handled coffee. When new routes bypassed it, the town was left as it was. Its houses are whitewashed, and the surrounds of doors and windows are painted in strong blue, yellow, green or brown, a different pair for each house. The streets are paved with large uneven stones and are laid out so that the sea washes through them at the highest tides. Cars are kept out of the centre. Paraty became a World Heritage Site in 2019.

Limewash white#F7F6F1Frame blue#2F5FC2Frame yellow#F2C230Frame red-brown#8A3A2EForest green#2F5F3F

Values are fair approximations of what the eye sees there, not measurements.

Colours tied to Paraty

WhiteThe lightest colour, seen in snow, milk and chalk, and opposite to black
About this page

Written by the Rang desk with AI assistance. Background: "Paraty" on Wikipedia. If you know Paraty and we have it wrong, tell us.

More colour cities

All colour cities
🇧🇷 Salvador's pastel heartPelourinhoThe old upper town of Salvador da Bahia: steep cobbled squares lined with pastel colonial houses and churches.🇧🇷 Painted hill town of carnivalOlindaA colonial town on hills above the sea near Recife, with bright house fronts, white churches and palm trees.🇮🇳 The White CityUdaipurWhite palaces and whitewashed houses stand around lakes in the Aravalli hills of southern Rajasthan.🇮🇳 Kolam white and Madras checksChennaiWhite kolam drawings at each doorstep, yellow autorickshaws, red colonial brick and painted temple towers.🇮🇳 Fine florals on whiteSanganerA printing town on the edge of Jaipur, known for delicate flower motifs on a white ground.🇮🇳 City of the Taj MahalAgraThe white marble of the Taj Mahal shifts from pink at dawn to gold at dusk, beside forts of red sandstone.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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