The Beauty of Recoleta

Buenos Aires is not well known for its tourist sites - no Christ the Redeemer towering over the city or a sparkling Eiffel Tower shining like diamonds in the distance.  Typically you will only hear about their steaks and tango, but believe me there is so much more.  I will be highlighting all my favorite finds on the Blog - from museums to parks to the many colorful neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.  I wanted to first begin with my favorite site of them all...Recoleta Cemetery, hailed as the one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world...it truly is!

The Recoleta Cemetery resides in the neighborhood with the same name - Recoleta which is an exclusive neighborhood with distinctly European style.  The cemetery is truly a city within a city.  Located on 14 acres, the 4,700 vaults are all above ground with spacious walkways and lush green trees leading you from one section to the next.

First founded by monks in 1732, Recoleta became a public cemetery in 1822.  Around this time, many of the construction materials were imported from Milan and Paris.  The marble mausoleums and elaborate statues are truly breathtaking and you will find a wide variety of architectural styles - from Art Deco to Baroque to Art Nouveau.

There are many famous residents of Recoleta Cemetery from former presidents to prominent businessman and of course the most notable being Eva Perón, the former first Lady of Argentina.  Strolling through Recoleta, I could not help but feel the sincere amount of love and respect Argentina has for its people, it was truly touching.