100,000m2 Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires is one of the largest in the world
The Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK) is the largest cultural centre in Latin America and the third largest in the world. It occupies the entire building of the former central post and telegraph office – one of the city’s most important historic buildings and an outstanding example of French second empire architecture. The modern, diverse cultural centre boasts a huge 100,000 m2 of space spread over an incredible nine floors, dedicated to art, music, theatre and dance. Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French…
Vegans Nightmare: A third of global farmland at ‘high’ pesticide pollution risk
According to new research, a third of the planet’s agricultural land is at “high risk” of pesticide pollution from the lingering residue of chemical ingredients that can leach into water supplies and threaten biodiversity. According to research published Monday, a third of the planet’s agricultural land is at “high risk” of pesticide pollution from the lingering residue of chemical ingredients that can leach into water supplies and threaten biodiversity. The use of pesticides…
Hotels in Buenos Aires hit decade-high occupancy rates
Hotels in Argentina’s capital recorded their highest average room occupancy levels for a decade in 2022, boosted by massive concerts, events and a domestic tourism boom. After the hard blow that Argentina’s hotel industry suffered during the first 24 months of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2022 ended with a resounding turnaround. According to a new report by the capital’s Entur tourism body, “last year ended with very positive signs for the hotel industry, with more domestic tourists than in 2019 and an average…
New Spanish investment in Buenos Aires: reopens the former Sofitel hotel on Arroyo street, Retiro, with new owners and a different brand
After being closed for five years, the former Sofitel hotel on Arroyo Street will reopen with new owners. The Spanish chain Único Hotels reached an agreement with the Bencich family to lease the historic Retiro building for the next 20 years and to reopen the five-star hotel at the end of the year or at the beginning of 2024. “Everything is signed and now it remains to move forward with the remodelling of the facilities and define the brand with which we are going to operate in Buenos Aires,” Pau…
25 Best Places To Visit In South America
The unique history, culture, and geography makes South America a remarkable place to travel. Learn more about the 25 best places to visit in South America below. Would you like to visit South America sometime soon? Or are you daydreaming about fun places to visit? Whichever it may be, this list of the best places to visit in South America is sure to inspire and strike up some wanderlust. Some of the best countries to visit in South America are just a flight or two away.…
Estrugamou family and their various residences in Argentina
The city of Buenos Aires has many emblematic buildings of a classic cut, and among them is one located in Juncal 783 called the Estrugamou Palace, of the style Beaux-Arts. Its classic lines are maintained in the era and excite all architecture lovers who walk by them in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. A few steps further on another nearby street, we find another beautiful building called Mansion Estrougamou, redeveloped in 2015 for the Casa Foa. This is found on Basavilbaso 1233. For a time,…
One of the most fascinating Palaces in Buenos Aires was designed to store drinking water
An impressive building inside and out, with French ceilings and English (Royal Doulton) and Belgian ceramics on the outside. Shields and crests adorn it everywhere, “Cuadritos” with flowers. Marble everywhere inside, huge iron beams and massive water tanks for more than 72 million litres of drinking water. Everything has been done in a very grand way. One wonders why would a small city spend all this money on water tanks. Well, the location, needed to feed the cities water supply by gravity and…
Why the market value of investment real estate often comes back to the cost of replacement
Most legacy real estate salespeople use comparable sales as a measure of value for real estate, but it can be a trap if you are a value investor. Here’s my opinion on how buyers should be valuing investment property instead. Most people would argue they know how to value a property. There’s a basic format: You look at the property you like, look at prices for comparable properties, and estimate the value from there. In some cases, you might also include expected rental returns as part of your measure.…
Warren Buffett’s partner Charlie Munger’s thoughts on successful investment practise
Warren Buffett, the world’s most significant investor, added two short sentences to Charlie Munger’s list that have been his decision-clinchers for decades, “Warren, think more about it. You’re smart, and I’m right.” Warren Buffett talked about his long-time friend and business partner, Charlie Munger, in his annual letter to the investors that was published along with Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report. Warren Buffett listed a few of Munger’s thoughts. He advised investors, “Find…
Why Buenos Aires is an attractive designation for retirees
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city known for its European charm, rich cultural heritage, and thriving arts scene. With its sunny climate, affordable cost of living, and welcoming people, Buenos Aires has become a popular destination for retirees looking to spend their golden years in an exciting and stimulating environment. This article will explore the many attractions that make Buenos Aires an ideal retirement place. Culture and Entertainment Buenos Aires is a city…
The Estrugamou in Buenos Aires – The Pinnacle of French Classical Architecture
On the corner of Juncal and Esmeralda streets, in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, sits a stately and imposing relic of an era of French architecture in Buenos Aires, a city often dubbed the “Paris of South America.” The residential Estrugamou Building, or Edificio Estrugamou, resembles an aristocratic French mansion with its chimneys, mansard roof, cornices, and three-story classical columns. The first wave of French architects came to Argentina in the 1820s, shortly after independence from Spain…
The Complete Guide to Estancias (Traditional Farms) of Argentina
Guide to Estancias of Argentina Rarely does one get something for nothing, but the complete guide to the Estancias of Argentina is right now. But author Stephane Parrenin is offering the new release of his e-book via Gateway to South America for FREE. The complete e-book guide to Estancias of Argentina is called eStancias: It offers readers a list of estancias, per province, with a link to the property’s website and location on Google maps. These estancias provide various levels of hospitality at various…
Classical French Architecture in Buenos Aires
From 1880, admirers of France as a model republic for cultural and aesthetic tastes, known as the ‘Generation of ‘80’, began to expand globally. The classical French style began to heavily influence even Non-French European Architects. At the beginning of the 19th century, after the wars of independence, European tendencies and influences penetrated into Argentina. As the new republic set about constructing a nation, the Argentine government aimed to move away from its colonial roots. At the time Argentina…
The Basilica in the Retiro of Buenos Aires and the myths that surrounded it
It was eight years of specialised construction, taking care of every detail to the extreme. Travelling to France to buy the best materials and even purchasing the largest organ in Argentina. Luxury, good taste and its Gothic-Romanesque construction with its exterior had a status of “forbidden love” amongst the Buenos Aires aristocracy. This was the birthplace of the Basilica of the Blessed Sacrament in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. “If I live in a palace, then my God also deserves…
The facade of the De Ridder mansion on Alvear Avenue in Buenos Aires during its expansion, around 1927
In Buenos Aires’ golden age, Alvear Avenue was Frenchified, an idea based on the aesthetics of large residences preserved along with its short six blocks that, with few exceptions, recreated in the Beaux-Arts style of the Ancien Régime. The culmination of its axis is the great dome of the old residence Ortiz Basualdo, the current French Embassy, to which the Plaza Carlos Pellegrini with its monument by Jules-Félix Coutan serves as a setting, that can be considered as the apotheosis of a paradigm that…
