Among the two media stereotypes of Rio de Janeiro - namely the beautiful ocean beaches of the residential districts of Leblon and Ipanema immersed into a dolce vita, and the favelas on the outskirts commonly stigmatized by violence and poverty -, lies the urban and political heart of Rio de Janeiro, territory predominantly with a white and basically progressive population.
As the seat of the public institutions of the city and the state of Rio, and of the country until 1960, the territory is still the centre of political and social life; it is a less known picture of the metropolis, yet able to show many of the facets of the Carioca identity and, probably, of the complex universe of Brazil.