8am | The unknown Obelisco
We learn about underground passages and a mysterious chalet.
We start here because even one of the most famous monuments of Buenos Aires has its incognito side. Underneath the Obelisco two underground galleries cross Av. 9 de Julio. These are the Pasaje Juan de Garay (Obelisco Norte) and the Pasaje Pedro de Mendoza (Obelisco Norte).
These passages were built in the 40s, but in 2014 they were remodelled and enhanced. They have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, mobile phone recharging machines and access to the B, C and D underground lines. These galleries not only keep out the cold and the traffic, but also have bars for breakfast with good promotions.
On weekdays, many office workers save time on these passages, stopping at kiosks, hairdressers, hardware stores or to polish their boots in this underground underworld.
When we return to the street on Avenida Cerrito, we can look at the building at Sarmiento 1113. You have to look to find something special in the heights. On the terrace there is a chalet that the owner of the building, Rafael Díaz, built imitating his original home in the city of Mar del Plata. He sold furniture and even had a radio from that top floor. This French-tiled building predates the Obelisco and the layout of the Avenida 9 de Julio. Nowadays, it houses the offices of the building's administration.
How we continue
From Sarmiento 1113, we walk 9 blocks to the opposite side of the Av. 9 de Julio. On Ayacucho St. we turn left and three blocks later we will be at the intersection with Av. Rivadavia, our next destination.
9:30 a.m. | Minimal stories of great works
An eclectic architecture with different symbols.
First on Av. Rivadavia and then taking Av. de Mayo, we find the most diverse stories. Our first stop is the Palacio de los Lirios (Av. Rivadavia 2031), named after the number of lilies on its exotic façade. It has three stories of flats and offices and an undulating shape reminiscent of Gaudí's works.
A few metres away (Av. Rivadavia 2009), there is another similar building with ornaments that recreate the Catalan Casa Batlló and railings that replicate the Puerta del Dragón del Palacio Güell. Although it has no name, it is known by the phrase under its monumental dome: “There are no impossible dreams.”
We continue along Avenida Rivadavia and reach the intersection with Entre Ríos St. In front of the Congreso de la Nación there is a bronze replica of ‘The Thinker’, by Auguste Rodin. It was inaugurated in 1907 and cast in the original mould by the artist himself, who put his signature on it.
The square is the starting point of the traditional Avenida de Mayo, which we walked to find our next three secrets of Buenos Aires. Palacio Barolo (Av. de Mayo 1370) is named after the surname of the textile magnate, whose first name was Luigi. This skyscraper is a tribute to ‘The Divine Comedy’, Dante Alighieri's epic poem. Its height is the same as the number of cantos in the work: 100. It has 22 stories and the same number of stanzas in most of its verses, and is organized in three parts like the volumes of the work: hell, purgatory and paradise.
The Barolo shares the block with the former Hotel Majestic (Av. de Mayo 1317), one of the most luxurious hotels in the city where the choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky got married and the architect Le Corbusier stayed. It was inaugurated in 1909 and preserves its academic style, but nowadays it houses an office of the Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos and has an exhibition area with tax collectors' historical elements.
In its time The Barolo was a neighbour of Hotel Castelar (Av. de Mayo 1152), designed by Mario Palanti, the same architect as the Barolo, and a favourite place for intellectuals. Oliverio Girondo, Norah Lange and Armando Discépolo stayed and participated in a literary group there. However, its most emblematic visitor was Federico García Lorca, who stayed there for almost six months in 1933 and has a commemorative plaque.
Guided tours
Palacio Barolo offers guided tours by two experts. The Thärigen brothers studied the history and explored every corner to promote the art of the place. They offer daytime tours, night tours, photography and tango shows. Schedules and prices can be consulted at Palaciobarolo.com.ar.
To be considered
On our way, we passed two blocks away from the Pasaje Rivarola. It was built in the 1920s in a symmetrical way: the buildings on one side and the other are almost identical, simulating a street in Paris.
12pm | Around Plaza de Mayo
Between clocks and viewpoints, a few blocks to look up.
After crossing Avenida 9 de Julio, , we turn left at Suipacha St. and walk to the intersection with Mitre St. We arrive at the Iglesia San Miguel de Arcángel(Mitre 886), which dates back to 1830 and was the site of the wedding of Vaslav Nijinsky, the most outstanding choreographer and dancer of the XX century, with the Austro-Hungarian Countess Rómula Pulsky.
It has a façade of Corinthian columns and inside works by the Italian painter Augusto Ferrari. From the church we move on to a former cabaret, in Galería Güemes (Florida 165), a real palatial venue. Its viewpoint is one of the best known in the city, the reason why Antoine Saint-Exupéry lived here in a flat.The author of ‘The Little Prince’ chose Galería Güemes because he was obsessed with having a good aerial view and always eccentric, he had a seal pup in his bathtub. Many years later, Julio Cortázar wrote "El otro cielo", a story where he imagined Galería Güemes in Paris.
We take Florida St. and turn on Diagonal Norte, which one block later will take us to Plaza de Mayo. At the intersection of Avenida Rivadavia and Reconquista St. is the vault of Banco de la Nación, the third largest in the world. It is only surpassed by the one in St. Peter's Square, in Rome, and the one in the Capitol, in Washington.
On the opposite side of the square is the Siemens company building (Bolívar and Diagonal Sur). Its uniqueness is the automaton clock on the top of the building, which works with an electromechanical system. Brought from Europe at the beginning of the XX century, there are hardly any others of this type in the world.
15pm | Singularities of the Casco Histórico
We travel through the country's living history at every turn.
We are in a transcendental area in Argentine history. Tales, anecdotes and legends multiply in every corner. Between Yrigoyen and Alsina streets is the Palacio de la Legislatura (Peru 160). Between 1946 and 1952 it was the headquarters of the Fundación Eva Perón, a social aid organization. For this reason, on the main floor there is a corner that simulates Evita's dressing room with her dressing table, wardrobe and three bathrooms.
We walk to the left and turn into Alsina, where two blocks later we will see the first pharmacy in the city, called La Estrella. It was created in 1834 by President Bernardino Rivadavia and gave rise to numerous political gatherings at the beginning of the XX century. It continues to operate under a concession, but belongs to the Museo de la Ciudad.
We retrace our steps and return to Perú Street to visit the Manzana de las Luces (Perú 272). This 1633 building is the work of the Jesuits and has a system of tunnels that connect it to the main sites of the city, such as the Cabildo, the Cathedral and the old fort. They were also used by the Creoles to defeat the English in the invasions of 1806. It is the scene of different cultural activities.
Arriving at the next corner (Belgrano 601) we can see another monumental work: the Otto Wulff building, built in 1914 at the request of the consul of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Buenos Aires. The highest dome represents Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Habsburg, while in another one there was a portrait, a crown and a crescent that reminded us of Sissi, the empress.
Guided tours
Every day the Palacio de la Legislatura Porteña offers guided tours, including Evita's dressing room and the clock tower. It is necessary to request an appointment at visitaguiadas@legislatura.gov.ar.
The Manzana de las Luces also offers guided tours.
17 pm. | San Telmo for the curious
From Mafalda to the Market, a neighbourhood with its own stamp.
Walking along Peru we turn left into Mexico. We are half a block away from the Centro Nacional de la Música y la Danza (Mexico 564) where there is an exhibition and performance hall. The secret of this imposing building is that it used to be the Biblioteca Nacional and Jorge Luis Borges was its director for a period of time.
Two blocks away is Mafalda's house (Chile 371). The emblematic cartoon that marked an era lived in the neighbourhood of San Telmo and Quino, the artist, used to draw her sitting on the threshold of a building, which has an allusive plaque on the façade. On Balcarce Street, at the corner of Independencia Street, is Don Manolo's store, the scene of many other episodes.
We continue enjoying the calmness of Defensa Street, its cobblestones and the important constructions of the origins of the city. We cross the Pasaje San Lorenzo and after a few metres we come across the Zanjón de Granados (Defensa 751), a residence from the middle of the XIX century. It hides a pipe built in 1865 to circulate the waters of an old stream, Tercero del Sur, also called Granados. It was discovered a hundred years later, when it adopted its current name and became an exhibition place of the prehistory of Buenos Aires: it displays tools, bottles, flasks, tiles and more relics.
Two blocks ahead is the Mercado de San Telmo (Defensa 957), which started as a general shop run by European immigrants and nowadays sells everything: meat, vegetables, antiques, second-hand clothes, etc. It opened in 1897 and is famous for its Renaissance style architecture with a dome divided into eight parts. From generation to generation, some surnames are a symbol: for example, the poultry of the Amitrano family or the cured meats of the Mutti family. Another peculiarity of the market is the ancient residence across the street on Bolivar Street, which is adorned with imposing caryatids.
Guided tours
Every day, including weekends, there are guided tours in the Zanjón de Granados. A fascinating underground walk with mysterious stories of the place.
To be considered
A good place to visit from 19pm onwards is Museum (Peru 535), a meeting point for the after office in the area and a nightclub from Thursday to Sunday. Its secret is that it used to be an old mill factory with a neat façade, the work of Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the mythical Parisian tower.
If we walk along Av. Paseo Colón, we have to be attentive. On the corner of Av. Independencia is the sculpture "Canto al trabajo", built by Rogelio Yrurtia in 1927. The neoclassical building half a block away is the Facultad de Ingenería of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, originally built to house the Fundación Eva Perón. After the coup d'état of 1955, the building changed its use.