Salta, Argentina
I first fell in love with Salta--albeit from afar--when I
stumbled across a New York Times 36 HOURS IN
SALTA article a year or two ago. I was intrigued by the descriptions of this town with its
perfectly preserved colonial architecture nestled in the Andean foothills, its
lively cultural blend of Spanish and Gaucho traditions, its food, its wine…
Gauchos in Salta City (Photo credit: Neshamayin )
...right, I know, I know, all the things I
usually fall for but Salta has an extra special something—it is in the extreme
northwest corner of Argentina—an arduous eight hours from Buenos Aires and
basically NOT NEAR ANYTHING—or rather more accurately—not near anything
familiar to me--an almost irresistible
lure.
I’ve been reading up on Salta ever since this first introduction and its lists of attractions just keeps getting longer. Here are a few--its gorgeous civic and architectural heart, Plaza 9 de Julio; its Neo-classical spiritual center, Catedral Basilica de Salta; its Museum of High Altitude Archeology with its important collection of Incan artifacts as well as actual Incans since it includes mummified Incan remains; its small but fine Museo de Arte Contemporaneo; nightly folkloric jam sessions known as penas and a truly excellent café culture where life is enjoyed at a leisurely pace and in the gloriously open air four season climate.
I’ve been reading up on Salta ever since this first introduction and its lists of attractions just keeps getting longer. Here are a few--its gorgeous civic and architectural heart, Plaza 9 de Julio; its Neo-classical spiritual center, Catedral Basilica de Salta; its Museum of High Altitude Archeology with its important collection of Incan artifacts as well as actual Incans since it includes mummified Incan remains; its small but fine Museo de Arte Contemporaneo; nightly folkloric jam sessions known as penas and a truly excellent café culture where life is enjoyed at a leisurely pace and in the gloriously open air four season climate.
La Casona del Molino, one of many popular local penas (Photo Credit:Bridges and Balloons)
As I say, a limited list, obviously since it doesn’t even
include the nearby cloud forest not to mention a thousand other things—but hopefully
enough to give you a taste of this special place.
Despite my inflamed Salta passions, I haven’t yet been so
for now I must rely on intel and images from those who have but later this year
I’ll be doing my own reconnaissance-–and I can’t wait! In fact, Kristin Peterson Edwards and I are so confident
of its charms, that we have added as an optional stop in Salta to our October trip to
Buenos Aires. I think its is going
to be great and NOT NEAR ANYTHING--except the Andes and great food and great wine and
great sites to see. Oh, and about
those arduous eight hours from Buenos Aires—that’s if you drive. If you fly—and we will—then its
just over 2 hours! Not too bad to travel a world away from all the more familiar things. Got my name written all over it. I hope it has yours, too...
1 comment:
The Museum of High Altitude Archeology and the cloud forest both sound wonderful to me. And, of course, I'm always interested in local foods that might be somewhat different from our own. 'Sounds like a great trip!
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