Barbacena

Barbacena is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2020, the municipality had 138,204 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788 km2.

Barbacena is known for its strong Italian influence. The Rodrigo Silva Colonial Nucleus was established in the late 19th century, and the immigration process lasted until the early 20th century. Most of the immigrants came from the Veneto region. Currently, Rodrigo Silva colonial nucleus is part of the territory of the city of Antônio Carlos and of the homonymous neighborhood "Colônia".It is in the foothills of the Serra da Mantiqueira south of the state capital Belo Horizonte at an elevation of 1,136 m, making it one of the ten highest cities in Brazil. Located on the important BR-040 highway, which links Brasília to Rio de Janeiro, it is 165 km from the state capital and 97 km Juiz de Fora.