The spirit of the place according to Vivian Caccuri

"Even though I live in Rio, I know Sao Paulo well, where I grew up. It's also where my gallery is, run by Eduardo Leme, with exhibitions lasting around a month and a half, so you can regularly discover one of the 22 artists represented. I highly recommend a visit to this fantastic place, a concrete building with pure lines but great complexity, designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, one of the most renowned Brazilian architects today and winner of the famous Pritzker Prize in 2006. Architecture fans are also invited to discover Ibirapuera Park, designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, and featuring a succession of buildings by Oscar Niemeyer, all built for Sao Paulo's 400th anniversary in 1954. My favourite museum is the MAM (Museu de Arte Moderna), with its interesting temporary exhibitions. What's more, you can take a gourmet break at the restaurant that opens onto the sculpture garden, the centrepiece of which is the the Spider by Louise Bourgeois.

Of course, for official meetings, I prefer to stay in hotels, particularly the extravagant Unique, built by Japanese-born Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake. On the rooftop pool terrace, you can drink cocktails while watching the night fall over a forest of skyscrapers. For dining, I also like the peaceful and elegant Jardins district, with its very select Hotel Emiliano and the Tordesilhas restaurant serving perfectly traditional Brazilian cuisine and a caipirinha to die for. When it comes to shopping, Jardins also has plenty to offer, including the Melissa boutique and its famous ultra-fashionable plastic shoes.

Another recommendation for Sao Paulo is to explore the "Centro", a district in the midst of a renaissance. Here you'll find not only the superb Teatro Nacional, but also some fine examples of modernist architecture. I love visiting the independent contemporary art centre Pivô, which opened a few years ago in a landmark building built by Oscar Niemeyer in the early 1960s: the Edifício Copan. It is still home to over 5,000 residents! In this centre, you can meet young emerging artists and then have lunch at Casa da Porco, a trendy place where the chef, Jeferson Rueda, brilliantly revisits the tradition of crispy, melting suckling pig. Finally, one last unusual address in Sao Paulo: Mirante 9 de Julho. Both a café and a restaurant, this place is located inside a glass bridge that spans one of the city's busiest roads, while at the same time being housed... in a sort of garden. It's sure to please the most curious.

In Rio too, I love unusual places like Bhering, a former chocolate factory that has been left in its raw state and is now home to artists' studios, design and fashion boutiques and a small café. Not far from there, in the Porto Maravilha district, which is undergoing a complete overhaul, I suggest a visit to the completely renovated Rio Art Museum (MAR), which faces the bay and the new Museum of Tomorrow. In the same area, the historic centre, you can also discover a plethora of small boutiques that are flourishing at the moment. I'm particularly fond of Frey Kalioubi, a fashion boutique housed in a 1920s building. Its owner, Amran, a young German, is passionate about Brazilian designers and chooses clothes, objects and jewellery made in Brazil with extreme care.

When it comes to gastronomy, my favourite restaurants are mainly to be found in the peaceful Botafogo district. I really like Lasai, a very contemporary restaurant, but also Irajá, which offers both traditional and innovative cuisine, all in a cosy setting saturated with greenery. I recommend booking in advance, as this restaurant is very popular. When I have time, I like to pop over to the Instituto Moreira Salles, a magnificent modernist mansion from the 1950s decorated with a fresco by Burle Marx. Today, it is a cultural centre dedicated mainly to photography, where you can relax with a fresh fruit juice in the garden. Its shop sells beautiful books and design objects.

When my commitments take me back to Ipanema, I always choose to meet at the Hotel Fasano. Designed by Philippe Starck, it is one of the most exclusive addresses in Rio. Its rooftop pool is already the stuff of legend. You can swim there and feel as if you're hovering above the sea, looking out over Corcovado on one side and the hill of the Two Brothers on the other. As for the food: the menu is Italian and always succulent! And if you want to follow it up with a drink with your feet in the water, the best place is the Arpoador Inn, just in front of the beach, three minutes from the Fasano... "