The Guanabara Palace in Rio de Janeiro was originally of neoclassical design, its construction started by the Portuguese José Machado Coelho in 1853, initially serving as a private residence until the 1860s. In 1865, it became the residence of Princess Isabel and her husband, the Count d’Eu, hence known as the Paço Isabel.
Antônio Carlos Gomes, born in Campinas and considered the greatest composer of operas in the Americas, was a fervent admirer of Verdi. Some say that at the age of eighteen, he composed a march based on themes from Il Trovatore. With the support of Emperor Dom Pedro II, Carlos Gomes received a scholarship to further his studies in Europe. The Emperor would have preferred Carlos Gomes to go to Germany, where the great Richard Wagner was prominent, but the Empress, Dona Teresa Cristina, Neapolitan herself, suggested Italy.
The book The Kingdom That Was Not of This World: Chronicle of an Unproclaimed Republic was published in 2015 by Valentina Publishers. This non-fiction work was written by Marcos Costa, and I read it in the Kindle version. Marcos Costa initially considered becoming an architect but soon changed his mind and pursued History at UNESP – Assis campus. He obtained a Master’s and a Ph.D. in Social History, also from UNESP.
Marcos Costa is a historian, university professor, researcher, and writer. He has authored numerous articles published in academic journals, as well as the books The Obscure Book of the Discovery of Brazil, The History of Brazil for Those in a Hurry, and The Man Who Did Not Want to Be Immortal.
