Culture

Culture

Known as “The Paris of South America,” Buenos Aires teems with culture at every street corner.  Much of the city is reminiscent of a Western European city. Many Italian architects constructed churches, such as the San Ignacio (1734) and Nuestra Senora del Pilar (1732) churches in Buenos Aires. The famous opera and performing arts house, Teatro Colon, has strong French influence, which is seen in its ivory statue, intricately painted dome, numerous steps, columns, and gold embellishments. Markets with innumerable stalls bustle with all sorts of artisan products and antiques.  Street performers light up the avenues day and night.  Green spaces, such as the Jardin Japones (Japanese Garden), Rosedal (Rose Garden), Las Heras Plaza (Heras Plaza), Plaza Francia (French Plaza), and Plaza Armenia (Armenia Plaza) create havens for those seeking respite from all the activity. New restaurants, bars, and shops are constantly opening throughout the city—all making Buenos Aires a fresh and dynamic city. 

Wine is a major part of Argentine culture in general, and at Buenos Aires restaurants, ordering a bottle of wine at dinner is quite common. Argentineans in general love trying new wines as well. Seeing as the vast majority of vineyards are a 15-hour bus ride away, there is a demand from many locals and time-crunched tourists to sample local wines in Buenos Aires rather than travel to the vineyards. For more on the history of wine history and consumption in Argentina, see Argentine Wine section. 

tags: buenos aires ·