ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 143

closely to traditional methods
and classic designs of gaucho
silverware, but also incorporate
subtle modern twists. Visitors
can watch the making of a
range of items including spurs,
belt buckles, belts, and stirrups.
The in-house museum has two
exhibition areas devoted to
visual art either inspired by, or
directly related to, gaucho
themes. Over 180 pieces are
on display at any time. Guides
explain the history of gaucho
silverware and the accessories
that a cowboy wears.

Pulpería La Blanqueada at Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes

3 San Antonio de
Areco
Road map C3. 70 miles (115 km)
NW of Buenos Aires. * 23,000. @
_ Día de la Tradición (weekend
nearest to Nov 12). ∑ sanantonio
deareco.com; caminopampa.com
For a town increasingly
promoted as a tourist
destination, San Antonio de
Areco has retained almost all of
its charm and authenticity.
Colonial houses line the leafy
roads and working cowboys
wear traditional bombachas
(baggy trousers) and necker-
chiefs. The town also has
excellent restaurants and is
close to some of Argentina's
most exclusive estancias.
San Antonio de Areco owes
much of its fame to the writer
Ricardo Güiraldes (see p35) . His
1926 masterpiece, Don Segundo
Sombra , is set in the area and its
eponymous gaucho protago-
nist is famous in Argentinian
literature. Güiraldes's family
ranch, La Porteña, is nearby.
Pleasantly quiet for most of
the year, the town comes alive
in November for the Día de la
Tradición, a boisterous festival
of country dancing and
equestrian stunts celebrating
gaucho traditions.

which opened in 1938, comprises
several open-air and enclosed
exhibition spaces. One of the
best known is the Pulpería La
Blanqueada, a tavern that
featured in Güiraldes's Don
Segundo Sombra . The museum
is mostly dedicated to the
author, though it also
exhibits paintings by
several Argentinian and
Uruguayan artists. The
building itself, with its
colonial tiles, trellis
windows, and patios
bowered with palm
trees, is a pleasant
place to visit.

Estancia El Ombú
5 miles (8 km) NW of San Antonio de
Areco. Te l [phone]. & 7
∑ estanciaelombu.com
The ombú tree used to be
known as the “lighthouse of the
pampas,” because it was often
the only shade gauchos could
find when crossing endless
grasslands. It is a fitting
name for a welcoming
estancia that offers guests
homemade food, guided
horse rides, and even a
round of golf. The
beautiful main house
was built in 1880 for
General Ricchieri,
whose Italian
heri tage helped
determine the style of the pink-
colored, vine-clad palazzo. The
park is stunning, dotted with
century-old oak trees, araucarias,
eucalyptus, and, of course,
ombús . The ranch also has a
collection of old weaponry.

Silver stirrups, Taller y
Museo de Platería de
Patricio Draghi

E Taller de Platería
de Patricio Draghi
Lavalle 387. Te l [phone].
Open 10am-12:30pm, 3:30-7pm
daily. & 8 ^ =
José Draghi is a local silversmith
with an international reputation.
His workshop and museum are
housed in a 19th-century Neo-
Classical Italianate mansion. The
pieces that Draghi, his sons
Patricio and Mariano, and his
team manufacture adhere

Estancia La Bamba
8 miles (13 km) NW of San Antonio
de Areco. Te l [phone]. & 7
∑ labambadeareco.com
Owned by the Aldao family for
several generations, La Bamba
is perfect for a taste of
traditional gaucho life. Sepia-
soaked family photographs line
the walls and the rooms are
filled with antique French
furnishings. There is a recon-
structed pulpería (small grocery
store), and estancia activities
such as horse riding are
available. La Bamba is also
famous for being the backdrop
for the legendary Argentinian
movie Camila (1984).

E Museo Gauchesco
Ricardo Güiraldes
Caminar Güiraldes s/n. Te l (02326)
455-839. Open 11am-5pm Wed-
Mon. & 8 3:30pm Mon-Fri,
12:30pm & 3:30pm Sat, Sun. 7
∑ museoguiraldes.com.ar
Across a bridge over Río Areco
at the northern edge of the
town, this museum complex,

Silversmiths working at the Taller de
Platería de Patricio Draghi

Cattle grazing on rich pasture near San Antonio de Areco