|
Guides for the Business Traveler
Montevideo (2010)
4 hours in Montevideo (2010)
 | Plaza Independencia and the Artigas Monument A Spanish citadel once stood here in colonial days, but all that is left of it is the western portal, now an ornamental entrance to Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja, or Old City. A mix of modern and historical buildings surrounds Plaza Independencia, which demarcates the old and new sections of the city.
A gallant statue of Gen. José Gervasio Artigas, the hero of Uruguay’s 19th-century independence movement, dominates the plaza and faces east up Avenida 18 de Julio, the city’s main thoroughfare. Take the stairs below the statue to enter his dimly lit and slightly creepy mausoleum. An urn sits under glass in the center, guarded by silent soldiers in colonial costumes. You might just be lucky enough to catch the changing of the guards down here too, the only time the subterranean structure seems alive. |  | Palacio Salvo There’s no way to visit Montevideo without noticing this unusual building, the city’s unofficial symbol towering 26 stories over Plaza Independencia. Once the city’s tallest structure, Palacio Salvo has an architecture that is almost impossible to describe, but it’s a mix of Art Deco, neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau and the simply bizarre. The eccentric Italian architect Mario Palanti, who worked throughout South America in the 1920s and 1930s, designed it and also created a virtually identical tower in Buenos Aires. Walk through the loggia to check out the columns ornamented in bronze with fantastical ocean animals, seashells and mythical sea monsters. While it’s an ideal lookout point, the tower is not open to the public. |  | Teatro Solis Teatro Solis is one of South America’s oldest opera houses, inaugurated in 1856, decades before the more famous performance palaces in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. An embracing colonnade along the façade and a sunburst pattern are the highlights of the exterior’s ornamentation. After a small fire in 1998, officials closed Teatro Solis for restoration in a completely modern style.
Tours take you through the stage, costume rooms and seating areas, and the Museum of Natural History, which is in the building. (Teatro Solis; Calle Buenos Aires 652; tel. 598-02-1950-3323; www.teatrosolis.org.uy)
|  | Calle Sarandi, Plaza Constitución and the Cabildo Museum A few blocks away is the city’s oldest square, Plaza Constitución, overlooked by historic buildings like the Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral and the Cabildo, which served as city hall in colonial days. The Cabildo was where the country’s new constitution was signed after independence from Spain. The building is now a museum with archives, maps, photos, artwork and other items relating to the city’s tumultuous history.
If you’re here for the weekend, you’ll find vendors selling crafts in the square and surrounding streets, especially the pedestrianized Calle Sarandi. Perfect souvenirs include handmade jewelry, small paintings, and the high-quality leather accessories for which Uruguay is famous.
Take note as you walk along some of the ornate, centuries-old commercial buildings being renovated along the route. This area was once considered dangerous, but a heavy police presence has changed all that. (Cabildo Museum; Juan Carlos Gómez 1362; tel. 598-02-915-9685) |  | Mercado del Puerto End your visit by checking out the historic Mercado del Puerto, or Port Market, a few blocks from the Rio de la Plata coastline in Montevideo’s Ciudad Vieja. Once neglected, the turn-of-the-last-century Mercado and its surrounding buildings have undergone a revival, patronized by tourists and locals alike. Make sure to check out its intricate, wrought iron roof, and the variety of local businesses, great restaurants and street musicians.
Grab lunch at El Palenque, where the surf-and-turf menu specializes in locally caught seafood and Uruguayan beef. The restaurant opened in 1958 and is a favorite spot for many office workers who take casual breaks here. (El Palenque; Perez Castellano 1579; tel. 598-02-917-0190; www.elpalenque.com.uy)
Your four-hour visit is almost over. Take a final stroll to the port on the Rio de la Plata, a few blocks away, and watch the cruise liners head into the city from their various ports of call. If any visitors ask where to go on their short visits, you’ll know what to tell them. |
|
|
