Cego de nascença, aprendeu a ler no escuro. Desde pequeno os livros lhe eram abertos, os toques lhe fundavam janelas, os sons lhe eram caminhos de pedras, polindo vazios de serventias, ninhais e encantários em palavras timbrais. Um dia achou um doador de córnea e pensou que os recursos adquiridos poderiam lhe render a visão total. Não aceitou ser operado por conta do governo, nem enxergar no claro. Ficou com medo de se olhar no espelho das pessoas e ter medo da escuridão que havia nelas.Silas Corrêa Leite.
Municipal city hall of Itararé Secretariat of the Education, Culture, Sport and Tourism Tourist information (15) 3532-4122 Email: eambiental@ itarare.sp.gov.br
Itararé, distant about 3 km of the verge of the State of São Paulo with the Paraná. With 112 years of emancipation politician - administrative, it approximately shelters a population of 50,000 inhabitants, according to estimate of the IBGE. It has in agriculture its economic foundation, mainly the culture of the beans, maize and soy, beyond counting on one strong cattle breeding business. It still has, the biggest area of artificial reforestation of Brazil and is in a region whose set is the third bigger area of the world. Desmembrada of the old Farm of the Labor detail, today Itapeva, Itararé had moments of importance in São Paulo and Brazilian history: obligator stop of the tropeiros that came of Viamão in the Rio Grande Do Sul in direction to the Sorocaba, fact that propitiated the conditions for the birth of the city; it was the biggest lumber warehouse of Latin America in the 30 years 20 and basic logistic point in the Revolutions of 30 and 32. Also always it took part of the diverse cycles of the São Paulo economy, such as of the cotton and the wheat and more recently, the tourism, that blunts as a new option, having in the Grotto of the Barrier a great control point in the State of São Paulo. The prodigal nature with the resources that the region endowed with the Valley of the Itararé, comes getting next to the ecological travel agencies of the São Paulo capital an encouraging demand for Itararé, making with that the term ECOLOGICAL TOURISM, or ECOTURISMO, pass to participate of daily of our diligent, hospitable and above all conscientious people of that this patrimony is not alone ours, but integrant part of the future generations.