Located
in the centre of
Buenos Aires
Province, 300km
south of the
capital,
AZUL
is mainly useful
as a transport
hub, with around
one hundred
buses a day
connecting the
town with the
rest of the
interior and the
coast.
Architecturally,
it's a bit of a
mixed bag,
though there are
some attractive
late
nineteenth-century
houses, which
give Azul an
elegant feel.
Though there's
little to detain
you in the town
itself,
excursions
can be made to
some gently
rolling sierras
some 50km to the
south, where
there are a
number of
unusual sights
including Latin
America's first
Trappist
monastery .
At Easter, the
town plays host
to an
Encuentro
Internacional de
Motos , a
motorbike rally
which has
attracted
motorcyclists
from all over
Latin America
and from as far
afield as the
US. The town
owes its name (Azul
means "blue") to
the indigenous
inhabitants of
the region who
called the
stream along
which they lived
Callvú-Leovú, or
"the stream of
the blue
country".
Plaza San
Martín ,
Azul's main
square, is
noteworthy for
its distinctive
black and white
Art Deco paving
which gives the
rather unnerving
impression of
walking on an
undulating
surface; it is
surrounded by an
eclectic mixture
of buildings
including the
Neoclassical
Palacio
Municipal .
Dating from
1886, the
building's
originally
harmonious
proportions were
thrown somewhat
out of kilter by
the addition of
a spindly
watchtower. On
the other side
of the square
stands Azul's
cathedral, the
neo-Gothic
Catedral Nuestra
Señora del
Rosario ,
built in 1906.
The cathedral's
lofty central
tower is echoed
by smaller
towers which
descend on
either side,
creating a
strong
triangular
shape.
On the corner
of San Martín
and Alvear is
the Museo y
Archivo
Histórico E.
Squirru (Wed
& Thurs
8am-noon, Fri &
Sat 4-8pm, Sun
4-9pm) which
holds a good
selection of
Mapuche
silverware;
mate gourds
and rifles as
well as examples
of traditional
crafts which are
currently being
revived in Azul,
including a
typical pampa
poncho,
distinguished
from other
Argentine
ponchos by its
strong geometric
design,
predominantly
black and white
interspersed
with a little
red.
Continuing
west along Calle
San Martín will
bring you to an
attractive
riverside walk
along the Arroyo
Azul. Head left
along the river
to reach the
woody Parque
Municipal
Sarmiento ,
distinguished by
its many
varieties of
trees including
lush magnolias
and palms. Some
distance further
on lies Azul's
vast
balneario
municipal ,
an artificially
widened stretch
of the Arroyo,
good for a
refreshing dip
in hot weather.
