Edifício Itália

Edifício Itália is one of São Paulo's tallest and most celebrated skyscrapers, a curved modernist tower rising 46 storeys above the city centre. Completed in 1965 and designed by the German-Brazilian architect Franz Heep, it long held the title of the tallest building in the city and remains a defining feature of the downtown skyline.

Its significance is as much about the view as the structure. The tower crowns one of the highest points of the old centre, and its upper floors offer a near-360-degree panorama over the endless sea of buildings that stretches to the horizon. On clear days the outlook takes in the cathedral, the Copan building's famous curve and, far off, the ridge of the Serra da Cantareira.

It stands at a symbolic crossroads of the historic centre, close to Praça da República and the República metro station, in an area that mixes faded grandeur with ongoing revival. The building houses offices, a members' club and, near the summit, the long-running Terraço Itália restaurant and bar.

For visitors, the appeal is the rooftop outlook. The restaurant admits diners to the top-floor terrace, and at set times the observation level opens to the public for a small charge, best timed for late afternoon so you can watch the megacity light up at dusk. The surrounding streets reward a walk past mid-century towers and the theatres of the old centre. As a vantage point over one of the largest urban areas on earth, and a monument to the confident modern architecture of mid-century Brazil, Edifício Itália gives travellers both a landmark and a memorable perspective on São Paulo's vastness. The building's gently curved plan was designed to soften its bulk on a tight corner site, a subtle refinement amid the sheer scale of the tower.