Colored light falls through the stained-glass windows of the Mercadão onto hanging hams, while a cook piles mortadella into a roll until it barely closes. On weekends the making moves outdoors. Liberdade stalls sell origami and handmade incense, and on Saturdays Praça Benedito Calixto fills with vinyl records and porcelain.
Beyond the stalls, Paulista Avenue closes to cars on Sundays for cyclists and street musicians, and Beco do Batman keeps getting repainted. Summers are warm and rainy, and winters are mild and drier. A Local Friend translates the menu board, decodes the metro map and senses the mood of the day, so you know where to wander next.
