Only 100 kilometres north west of Buenos Aires, San Antonio de Areco preserves the aura of another time within its historical plazas and old streets. A centre of Gaucho culture in the midst of the pampas, it is a charming place to visit.

The Jesuits arrived first in the 17th century but by 1730 San Antonio de Areco was recognised as a town. The vast grasslands in the area, known as Pampas, were responsible for the growth of the Gaucho, a skilled horseman who managed the vast cattle herds.

An entire tradition has grown up around them and their way of dress. This included ponchos, loose trousers, a belt and a knife, often combined with some vicious spurs. They wove their distinctive rawhide bridles and whips by hand and wore wide brimmed hats, although these have been superceded somewhat by the flatter beret style cap.

In the middle of the Pampas and with some very important estancias (ranches) nearby, San Antonio de Areco became a focal point for them. In 1926 Ricardo Güiraldes wrote a poetic novel about the breed called Don Segundo Sombra which captured the public attention, so much so that in 1939 a Fiesta de la Tradiciōn was established to celebrate the rural people and their customs.

Continuing to this day and usually occurring in early November this involves three days of parades, rodeos and feasting and is quite the spectacle. Everything is booked up but if you want to check out the gaucho kit, visit Casa Guerrico on the main plaza. The friendly owner will happily show you around and explain the items.

I bought a cute key ring with an el pato symbol. Surprisingly el pato was declared the official game of Argentina in 1953: originally played with a duck in a leather bag (on horseback), the idea was to capture it and take it to a rival’s estancia. Apparently it was quite violent (and probably cruel to the duck) and in the 1930’s was revised to become more like polo and played with a leather ball with 6 handles. There are now two teams of 4 players and the idea is to get the pato through a metal hoop 2.4 metres high.

The town was quiet when we arrived jet lagged late on a Saturday night – if you want to visit the traditional restaurants in Areco, some thought needs to be given to the day of the week! Virtually everything closes on Monday and there is a siesta between 12.30 – 4.30. Lo de Tito is known for its good home cooking and traditional bogeda atmosphere but is only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The oldest bar is actually Boliche de Bessonart – it has been serving the local gauchos for 200 years and certainly looks it’s age, but is closed on Monday and Tuesday. Neither take reservations.

One strange anomaly is the local consumption of Fernet Branca which came into the country with the Italian immigrations. It’s bitter medicinal qualities are these days diluted with coca cola and it is a moderately refreshing drink – and a local institution. Argentina now consumes 75% of the world’s production and there is actually a factory near Buenos Aires, the only one outside it’s country of origin.

For less alcoholic fare, at least Raíces de Cocoa was open, a cafe at the top end of the square serving delicious coffee and cakes, as well as filled croissants. There is a balcony for a bird’s eye view over the plaza. There are no tall buildings, bar the adjacent church, and it all feels fairly traditional and relaxed.

If you have the dosh the obvious thing to do is to stay at one of the historic estancias. The three most often mentioned are El Ombu de Areco, La Bamba de Areco which is a Relais & Chateaux property with glossy polo fields and La Porteña, the oldest in the area and once the home of Ricardo Güiraldes.

All offer comfortable lodging, fine dining and an insight into the country and gaucho lifestyle. There are gaucho displays, riding and simply enjoying the country atmosphere. Some also cater for day trips. If you want to visit, it is best to email the property directly for information and prices. We took a drive into the country and the road is appalling, being mud with great embedded tyre tracks – I cannot imagine it in wet weather!

Needless to say, we were at the cheap end, camping at the Club Atletico River Plate Areco. We actually had an idyllic spot, on a grassy knoll above a rather muddy river with views over fields where horses grazed placidly. In the morning the river breathed quietly, creating misty silhouettes.

Chattering Monk parrots surrounded us in the nearby eucalypt trees, busily tending to their huge stick nests – each hole contains a breeding pair. We also had pretty ducks, egrets and various small birds flitting around – it was actually the ideal place to relax after an international flight.

However some sightseeing was required. We started at Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Güiraldes which was opened in 1938 in a purpose built estancia like building. It was designed to showcase the local gaucho culture and the work of Güiraldes. Like many an Argentinian museum, it was rather light on contents for a tourist price tag of 20,000 ARS.

An hour should be more than enough to cover the various embellished gaucho equipment and some jolly paintings. At the entrance to the park is the Pulpería La Blanqueada, an original store with bar which is over 150 years old.

We walked into town over El Puenta Viejo (the old bridge) which strangely seems to end half way across the river (there is a modern half attached!). It has a distinctive red paint job and is pedestrian or horse only. Horses were tethered out in the grassy park on the other side.

Meanderings in town revealed alfajores shops (the Argentinian layered biscuits which are Andalusian in origin) which often involve dulce de leche or chocolate. The famous outlet is La Olla de Cobre although Raíces de Cocoa have some pretty lush one too.

The town is also well known for its silver metal work, frequently adorning horse tack or the mate gourds which are used to contain the native yerba tea or the metal bombilla straws used to drink it. Another national institution and a daily ritual, an Argentinian is never far from his mate; thermos’ are carried everywhere and hot water is advertised at outlets.

The Draghi House Museum on the main square showcases gold and silver metal working. Juan José Draghi was the famous initiator of the revived art in the town and his two sons today continue in his footsteps – their workshop, with lots of furious tapping going on, can be found on Lavalle.

Luján

Luján wasn’t anywhere I had heard of or even thought of visiting until I read the guide book in Areco and discovered that Mancha and Gato are there in the Museo del Transporte.

Thus we found ourselves in Luján on a Sunday, a day of rest and repos and pilgrimage as Luján is the country’s most important place of pilgrimage. We should have guessed as the striking neo-gothic Basilica National towers over the town – literally as the twin towers, built between (1887-1932) rise to 107 m.

It houses the Virgin of Luján who was en route elsewhere in 1630 when her ox cart became stuck and it was taken as a sign that she wanted to stay in that spot – from a small chapel grew the mighty basilica that one sees today.

We took a look inside, past the holy water dispensers and up the stairs to a spacious interior. Mass was in full swing, a man was sobbing in a nearby confessional and people promenaded in and out around the sides, it was all remarkably informal.

The Virgin can be glimpsed high up on the High Altar, peeping out of an enshrouding blue and white robe. Actually even the priest was in blue and white and the Argentine flag hung from the altar – as Simon remarked, it is not a good idea to mix politics and religion!

We duly found Tschiffely’s two horses with whom he left Buenos Aires in April 1925, reaching New York in 1928 after 3 years and 149 days and 21,500 km. It was the most awful taxidermy job though!

The museum also had an assortment of carriages, a seaplane and bicycles. Most impressive was the Quinchada, a huge wooden wheeled wagon made at the end of the 18th century and used to transport materials and arms for the Crossing of the Andes expedition.

Our 2000 ARS ticket also included entry to two other museums: an automobile one which had some shiny examples from the era of ‘any colour you like as long as it is black’, as well as more carriages and a colonial house.

This had an eclectic collection scattered amongst various buildings and pretty courtyards including a drumstick from the 71st Highlander regiment which was taken as a war trophy on the surrender of the British in Buenos Aires in 1806.

Afterwards we perambulated in the square where there was a lot happening: stalls selling food and religious icons, a lot of cyclists, a popular parilla BBQ restaurant smoking away just around from the transport museum – parilla for 30,000 each was a bargain.

We thought of staying but liked San Antonio de Areco so much that we retreated back to our riverbank. The Argentinians use the term criollo to define the tradition and lifestyle of the countryside – San Antonio de Areco has it in spades!

NOTES

Club Atletico River Plate Areco has great camping spots along the river for 30,000 ARS a night for two with a vehicle.

The above mentioned Draghi family also run a nice boutique hotel by the silver museum with great gardens, a pool and a good breakfast.

Exchange Rate: £1 = 2,045 ARS