The capital of Piauí, Teresina was the first city in Brazil to be planned. It was designed in 1852 by a master builder in the form of a chessboard. Situated at the mouth of the Rivers Parnaíba and Poti, it is known as the green city because all its streets and avenues are lined with trees, mainly mangoes.

These two rivers provide the city with beaches that are very popular during the period of drought between May and November when the waters retreat and form lakes surrounded by sandbanks. The city also has beautiful sunsets and various monuments, in particular the church of St. Benedict built in 1886, with carved timber doors, and the 4 de Setembro Theatre in the neo-classical style, inaugurated in 1893.

Dating from more modern times is the church of Our Lady of Lourdes, built in 1961 and decorated with sculptures by the masters Dezinho and Expedito, the most famous sculptors in Piauí, and the gardens of the Karnak Palace - seat of state government - designed by Roberto Burle Marx, regarded as Brazil's greatest landscape architect.

A visit to Teresina would not be complete without hearing the legend of the "Head made from a Gourd" - preferably told by someone who swears he has seen it - told all over the city. According to folklore, the being lives at the confluence of the Rivers Parnaíba and Poti and is a citizen with staring eyes who, more than two centuries ago, was the victim of a curse: he can only come out of the water when he manages to deflower seven Marias.