Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
273
Il Panino
Value
PIZZA After digging hard to find the best pizza in Mendoza, where
you will find great pizza on ev ery block, I landed at this par t restaurant, part enormous
home for what proved to be the perfect meal: The perfectly thin-crusted pizzas are lightly
baked, with an emphasis on local fr esh ingredients on top—including goat cheese, ar u-
gula, fresh herbs, and oliv es. Look for options such as hear ts of palm, asparagus, and
sun-dried tomatoes. They've got the right blend of freshness and oozing flavors. They also
have wonderful empanadas and Italian sandwiches—and plans to open at lunchtime. It's
a bit out of the way, a dozen blocks or so from the center of town.
Paso de los Andes 147-153.
&
261/428-5922.
M ain courses $6-$12 (£4.05-£8.20). AE, MC, V. Daily
7pm-1am.
WHAT TO SEE & DO
Mercado Central
If you've come to Mendoza to explore food and wine, don't miss
the place wher e locals shop for it. E l Mercado Central, the central mar ket, has been in
the same location on busy Las H eras street for 120 y ears and has plenty of atmospher e
and lively characters. Stalls offer up fresh produce, and the butchers are the real deal. It's
a great place for people-watching. You can also grab quick, cheap snackssuch as empana-
das, pizzas, and sandwiches, and the ingr edients for a great picnic.
Corner of A v. Las Heras and P atricias Mendocinas. No phone . Free admission. M on-Sat 8am-1pm and
4-7pm.
Museo Fundacional
This museum, 3km (1
3
/
4
miles) from downtown, displays
what remains of the old city, which was ravaged by an 1861 earthquake. Chronicling the
early history of Mendoza, the museum begins by looking at the culture of the indigenous
Huarpes and continues with an examination of the city 's development through Spanish
colonization to independence. An underground chamber holds the ruins of the aqueduct
and fountain that once provided Mendoza's water supply. Near the museum, the
Ruinas
de San Francisco
represent a J esuit church and school that w ere used until the J esuits
were expelled from the continent in 1767 and later occupied b y the Franciscan Order.
Videla Castillo, btw. Beltrán and Alber di.
&
261/425-6927.
Admission 75¢ (50p). Tues-Sat 8am-8pm;
Sun 3-8pm.
10
Museo Histórico General San Martín
Adjacent to the “Alameda,” a beautiful
promenade under white poplars, the San Martín Library and Museum stands in the spot
where G eneral S an M artín—the legendar y liberator who fr eed Argentina, Chile, and
Peru from Spain—had hoped to make his home. The museum's small collection of ar ti-
facts pays homage to Argentina 's beloved hero, who pr epared his liberation campaigns
from Mendoza.
Remedios Escalada de San M artín 1843.
&
261/428-7947.
A dmission 75¢ (50p). M on-Fri 9:30am-
5:30pm; Sat 9:30am-1:30pm.
Parque General San Martín
Almost as big as the city itself, this wonderful
park, designed in 1896 by Carlos Thays (who also designed the Palermo parks in Buenos
Aires), extends o ver 350 hectar es (865 acr es) with 17km (11 miles) of idyllic pathways
and 300 species of plants and tr ees. A tourist office, near the par k's main entrance, pro-
vides information on all park activities, which include walking, jogging, bicycling, boat-
ing, horseback riding (outside the par k's perimeters), and hang gliding. The stunning
entrance gates were originally made for the Turkish Sultan Hamid II but ended up as a
gift to M endoza fr om E ngland. Don't miss the r ose garden, the I slas Malvinas soccer
stadium (which was built for the 1978 soccer World Cup), or the hustle and bustle at the
