Escadaria Selaron

One of the hidden gems of Rio de Janeiro is the Selarón ladder located in the decadent neighborhood of Lapa. These beautiful stairs that connect the neighborhood of Lapa with the Convent of Santa Teresa are the work of Chilean artist Jorge Selarón. It all started in 1990 when the great artist decided to honor the Brazilian people that had welcomed him to their country so well. He laid the tiles using green, blue and yellow, the colors of the Brazilian flag. In 1998 when he was almost finished with the ladder, Selarón discovered a shop selling antique European tiles and began using these and other tiles from around the world to add more individualized details to the 215 steps.