Description
Buenos Aires’ splendid architecture is certainly one of its greatest attractions; its eclecticism is a sign of the cultural synthesis that historically shaped Argentina’s national spirit.
Our starting point is naturally Plaza de Mayo, where we observe the most conspicuous of Buenos Aires’ colonial buildings: the Cabildo, primitive town hall, the neoclassical Metropolitan Cathedral, Presidential Palace, known as the Pink House, due to a series of myths and legends around its peculiar color. Finally, we trace the tracks of monumetalism, a school so dear to Fascism, visible in the Ministry of Economics building.
Next, we walk across Avenida de Mayo, a tree-lined boulevard built in the late 19th century, when Paris was undisputedly the center of the world. Alongside the Avenue, many different-styled buildings were erected –Academicist, Borbonic, Italian, Neobaroque, Art-Nouveau and Art Déco, among other styles.
Leaving Avenida de Mayo, we head for Puerto Madero, a cutting-edge urban renovation project initiated in 1991, which finally integrates the city to the river. Here, we’ll stop at an area known as ‘Little Manhattan’, which concentrates a handful of state-of-the-art, intelligent buildings created by the greatest Argentinian architects, such as César Pelli and Mario Roberto Álvarez. Before we leave, we’ll see the Woman’s Bridge, created by Spanish genius Santiago Calatrava.
On our way to Recoleta, we’ll pass along the impressive Colón Theater, painstakingly built for 20 years.
Once in Recoleta, we’ll visit the namesake Cemetery, one of Buenos Aires’ greatest attractions. Inaugurated in 1822, this true labyrinth of funeral monuments commissioned to some of the greatest artists of the last two centuries is the eternal home of the most conspicuous –and wealthy– figures in Argentine history, paradoxically including Eva Perón, who was a known enemy of the upper classes.
