Unidos do Porto da Pedra, a school in São Gonçalo, in the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro, is the champion of the 2023 Gold Series and will return to the Special Group, after 10 years in the access group. The plot developed by the carnival designer Mario Quintaes brought to the Marquês de Sapucaí Sambadrome the plot The Invention of the Amazonbased on the book the raft, by Jules Verne, through the human imagination and inspired by the inventive and creative power of the writer, celebrates the storytellers of the Amazon in the 2023 carnival. The carnival designer showed the exuberance of the forest in the parade and made an appeal for its preservation.
The school hired the interpreter Nêgo, brother of the handler Neguinho da Beija-Flor, who has already worked in several schools of the Special Group and valued the school’s samba on the avenue. The luxury of the costumes and the description of the plot showing the gigantic extension of the Amazon River gave the title to the red and white school of São Gonçalo.
Unidos do Porto da Pedra obtained a total score of 269.7 points. The second place was Unidos de Padre Miguel, with 2 tenths of difference, with 269.5 points. Third place went to the Inocentes de Belford Roxo school, with 269.4 points.
Traditional schools such as União da Ilha do Governador, São Clemente and Estácio de Sá, which had already been part of the elite of Rio de Janeiro for several years, were unable to return to the Special Group.
Of the 15 schools that performed in the Série Ouro, the two last placed were Lins Imperial and União de Jacarepaguá, relegated to the Série Prata.
