In the centre of Pedro Leopoldo there is a square bench where a bronze gentleman spends the day seated, in a beret, with the book Nosso Lar on his lap. It is Chico Xavier, as Brazil came to know him, immortalised in the town where he was born in 1910. Anyone arriving at Praça Chico Xavier in the late afternoon sees the scene that sums up the whole trip: people of all ages taking photos beside the statue, the light of Minas slowly descending over the old houses and that rare feeling that time here moves at its own pace. If that scene moved you, pack a cardigan: this is the one-day itinerary that we at Mundo a Passeio follow with our groups, designed to experience the history without any rush.

Where Pedro Leopoldo is and why it deserves your day

Pedro Leopoldo is in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte and is the town where Francisco Cândido Xavier was born, on 2 April 1910, and lived until 1959, when he moved to Uberaba, where he would spend the rest of his life. Here you will find the house where he lived in his last years in Minas, the Spiritist centre he founded at the age of 17 and the square that bears his name. It is a compact itinerary, concentrated in the town centre, that can be done on foot and fills a whole day of emotion for anyone who grew up reading the medium's letters and books.

The one-day itinerary, in the order we recommend

Before any stop, a warning that avoids disappointment: Fazenda Modelo only receives visitors in the morning, Casa de Chico Xavier only opens in the afternoon and both are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The ideal day is therefore Wednesday to Sunday, with the Fazenda in the morning and the town centre after lunch. The order falls into place on its own, as you will see.

Morning: Fazenda Modelo, where Chico worked for about 25 years

Fazenda Modelo (Avenida Dr. Rômulo Joviano, no number) is where Chico Xavier worked for about 25 years as a typist clerk for the Ministry of Agriculture. Since March 2026 it has housed the Espaço Cultural Chico Xavier, renovated in partnership between UFMG and the União Espírita Mineira, with books published in his lifetime, biographies and editions in other languages. The visit is guided, from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 2pm, and requires prior online booking. It is the kind of administrative detail we sort out for the group before the trip is even confirmed, so that you can simply arrive, go in and be moved.

Midday: an unhurried Minas lunch

Between the closing of the Fazenda and the opening of the museums at 2pm, there is time for a relaxed lunch in the town centre. Pedro Leopoldo has the kind of simple restaurant table you find in the interior of Minas: home cooking, endless filter coffee and a bill that does not frighten. Anyone who travels in a group knows the value of this hour: sitting together, sharing impressions of the morning and recharging for the afternoon.

Afternoon: Casa de Chico Xavier

At Rua Pedro José da Silva, 67, stands the house where Chico Xavier lived from 1948 to 1959, when he left for Uberaba. Today it works as a house museum, with personal belongings, original furniture, documents and photographs, as well as a small bookshop for those who want to take a book home. It is open to visitors from Wednesday to Sunday, 2pm to 6pm, and on Sundays it is even more special: at 5pm there is a study of Chico's works and at 6pm a service. No admission fee has been officially published, and the house's telephone number, (31) 3665-1797, can be used to confirm any detail before the visit. For older travellers, it is the heart of the itinerary: a quiet house where each visitor walks at their own pace.

Late afternoon: the statue in the square and the Memorial Luiz Gonzaga

Praça Chico Xavier (Rua Dr. Cristiano Ottoni, 555) was named after him in 1980, in the town's first public tribute, and since April 2014 it has been home to the 250 kg bronze statue sculpted by Vânia Braga, a sculptor born in Pedro Leopoldo: Chico in old age, in a beret, seated on the bench with Nosso Lar in his hands. It is the essential photo stop and, for many people, the moment of silence and gratitude on the trip.

Still in the town centre, the Centro Espírita Luiz Gonzaga (Rua São Sebastião) houses the Memorial, with more than 30 oil paintings telling the story of Chico's life. It was there that he founded the centre, on 21 June 1927, at just 17 years old. The centre does not publish the Memorial's visiting hours, so we confirm them by telephone, (31) 3665-5101, before planning the day. What is fixed are the public activities during the week: Monday and Friday at 7.30pm, Wednesday at 3.30pm and Sunday at 9.30am, always with Gospel study and passe (a Spiritist practice). For those who want to see even more of the collection, the permanent exhibition Chico Xavier, Arquivo Geraldo Leão, is in the Unimed building, also in the town centre.

For those who want the full itinerary: the Caminhos de Luz

The town organises the places along the medium's life story under the name Caminhos de Luz, and the full itinerary includes the Fábrica de Tecidos Cachoeira Grande (where Chico worked at the age of 9), the Escola Estadual São José (where he studied from 1919 to 1923), the Açude do Capão (where, in 1931, his first contact with the spirit Emmanuel is said to have taken place) and the Centro Espírita Meimei, founded by him in 1952. With a guide who knows the way, all of this fits into the same day for those with the energy, or becomes a reason to return.

If the trip stretches to an extra day: caves and waterfall

The region gives back in nature the time you give it. The Parque Estadual do Sumidouro and the Gruta da Lapinha are in the region, open every day from 8.30am to 5pm, with guided visits only and admission at R$ 25 (half price, R$ 12,50). The Gruta do Baú costs around R$ 20 and the Cachoeira do Urubu R$ 25 at weekends and on public holidays. These are the same caves associated with the fossils that made the region known in Brazilian palaeontology, and at the Praça da Estação, where the old railway station now houses the municipal library, you can see replicas of the archaeological finds discovered nearby.

What not to miss for older travellers

Three stops are essential: Casa de Chico Xavier, the statue in the square and Fazenda Modelo. And three precautions make all the difference to the group's comfort:

The rest is the town's gift: a compact centre, an easy walk between one stop and the next and that warm welcome of the Minas interior that makes the group feel at home.

What it is like to do this itinerary with Mundo a Passeio

Anyone who has travelled with us knows that the trip begins long before departure. From the first contact on WhatsApp to the return home, the same team accompanies the group: answering questions, handling the booking of visits, announcing times and dealing with the unexpected. The journey to Minas is made in leito (sleeper) or semi-leito (semi-sleeper) coaches, departing from Porto Alegre and the metropolitan region, with guides who know every stop on this itinerary and a pace designed for older travellers, with a seated lunch break and plenty of time at each place. And since Chico's story has two chapters, we like to combine Pedro Leopoldo with Uberaba, where he lived from 1959 until 2002 and where the Memorial Chico Xavier now stands: we tell you what to expect there in our post on the Chico Xavier memorial in Uberaba.

Come and see the square bench for yourself

If the itinerary has made you want to go, the next step is simple: Mundo a Passeio's group departures are on the trips and expeditions page, with the itinerary and dates of each departure published there. And if you would rather talk first, message us on WhatsApp: Ana Carla replies, understands what your group is looking for and accompanies you from the first hello to the return home. The square bench is waiting, and a road like this is nicer in a group.

See also

Sources

All the sources below were consulted on 18 October 2026.