It is the first city in the world designed to be entered via jet aircraft.  In fact, the architects of Brasilia, Brazil drafted the shape of the city center to look like a jet airplane.  The overtly planned city was to be a statement of progress to shape the future of Brazil.  And that’s how it turned out.  Brasilia is a stunning example of ultra-modern planning and architecture.

Even though Brazil’s capital city was conceived as a modernist icon, the city’s roots actually go back to the 1800s.  The popular legend centers around a dream by the Italian saint, John Bosco.  He imagined an ideal city located between the 15th and 16th parallels. He envisioned a utopian paradise that would lead a nation and inspire the world.

Early in the nation’s history, Brazilian leaders wanted to move the capital city to a more interior location.  The first two capitals, Brasil…