Rio de Janeiro
The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer oversees the global metropolis and geographical titans that make up this Brazilian giant. The festival that is life emanates from its soul, samba and bossa nova, exploding into vision during the annual Carnaval. Amid the gigantic sandy crescents of Copacabana and Ipanema or the monumental Maracana Stadium, Rio teems, from favelas to skyscrapers, with a unifying, motivating passion that is genuinely marvellous.