Pedro II Theater is the grand old stage of Ribeirao Preto, a coffee-boom monument facing the city centre's main square. Its facade and ceremonial interiors belong to the period when the city was growing rich from plantations, rail links, and the ambitions of inland Sao Paulo.
The theatre still works as a performance venue, but it is worth seeing even if you are not catching a concert. Pair it with the nearby coffee museum and cathedral and you get a compact lesson in how Ribeirao Preto turned agricultural wealth into civic architecture.