laArgentina It is one of my favorite countries, one of the ones I have spent the most time in, I have returned 6 times, and I think the reason is also funny, in Argentina an Italian feels at home, especially in Buenos Aires.
As you have surely read, Italy had two large emigrations to Argentina, one at the end of the 19th century and another in the first half of the last century, this led to a truly strange phenomenon, the distances between these two countries until now. far away they have come closer. In Argentina, Spanish is not spoken, but River Plate Castilian, which is a fairly modified form and much more similar to Italian. Their culinary tradition takes a lot from ours, in addition to kindness, spontaneity and hospitality. As I always say, in Argentina there are Italians who speak Spanish and this immediately makes us feel very close to these people and directly makes us fall in love with this land.
Argentina is one of the largest and least populated countries in the world, your trip will be characterized by long routes and endless desert panoramas. This greatly marks the trip, it makes you understand in a short time that we will live two realities: Buenos Aires, characterized by infinite vitality, joy, musicality, full of parties, museums, shows and the rest of the country, which speaks. Less and space for its impressive nature.
As a woman traveling alone, we come to the topic that everyone always questions me about: safety. Traveling through Argentina is not at all dangerous, in most regions you don't even use house keys, there is solidarity and support. The only center that you will find more dangerous is Buenos Aires because it is immense, very populated and with a large percentage of people in a state of poverty. In my 6 trips to Baires nothing has ever happened to me, I advise you to always carry your cell phone and money, take the metro only during the day and as always in South America, only use official taxis, especially from the airport.
To understand the soul of Argentina you have to live Buenos Aires and that is why it means experiencing it at night, in its barbecues where you dine until late at night, the hundreds of small bars and the discos open until dawn. A weekend exploring the streets of Palermo, San Telmo and Recoleta will make you smile. I recommend spending at least 4 days in Buenos Aires and possibly including a weekend. One thing I always love to do is spend Saturday at San Telmo Market, the entire neighborhood is completely invaded by artisans who offer their own creations and in many corners there are people dancing and singing Tango.
What itinerary to do in Argentina:
The travel itinerary in this large country depends a lot on the number of days you have available, but I am sure of one thing, you cannot miss the Iguazu Falls, which I recommend arriving by plane, where you can spend a couple of days walking along the wooden walkways and hyponotically observe a huge mass of water breaking, producing hundreds of rainbows. Iguazú is a place that crosses 3 borders: Argentina, Brazil and Prague. If you want, you can also dedicate each day to a different side, but you should know that the one where you have the best general view is the Argentine side.
The most dreamed of and desired region of Argentina is Patagonia, but as I mentioned before, getting there is not necessarily as easy as it seems. If you are short on time, the easiest way to get to Patagonia is by plane, you can consider going down several stops by bus and then returning with a flight.
The long-distance coaches in Argentina are excellent and very luxurious, like a business category of the plane, they have fully reclining seats, Wi-Fi and food on board is always included. I will describe my itinerary imagining myself coming down from Buenos Aires. The first stop that many like to make is the Peninsula Valdez, especially if you go during whale season, it is an area of fairly flat sea, but where you can spot cetaceans very easily. If you have never seen whales it may be a good idea, otherwise I recommend seeing them in more spectacular places and on this trip dedicate yourself to the Andes.
Bariloche and the area of the great lakes, this is upper Patagonia, which is relatively easier to reach and therefore where many porteños (that is, the inhabitants of Buenos Aires) like to come on vacation. In winter this area is perfect for skiing, in summer for hiking and diving in the crystal-clear lakes. I suggest you take the beautiful road of the 7 lakes, truly panoramic and wonderful, and stop for a couple of days in San Martín de los Andes, my favorite town in this area. The houses are all made of wood and well maintained, a corner of Switzerland on an opposite latitude.
Continuing towards the south we arrive at El Calafate the most famous place in Argentine Patagonia because it is where you start to observe the famous Perito Moreno and Lake Argentino. These wonders of nature will take your breath away, the largest glacier in the world overlooking a navigable lake filled with icebergs! In this area you can practice numerous sports, such as ice climbing or hiking in petrified forests with dinosaur footprints.
A little further south we find El Chaltén a small somewhat hippie town on the slopes of two of the great Andean giants: the Cerro Torre and Fiz Roy. To organize a trek or complete ascent to these peaks, trust a specialized guide or a local agency, do not improvise like mountaineers in such iconic mountains, it can be dangerous, certainly much more than the Buenos Aires metro.
The "road", that is, the road that completely crosses Patagonia, is Route 40, a road that for centuries was only dirt road and with very little traffic, which made it extremely dangerous in the sense that it was very easy to have complications with the vehicle. vehicle and remain trapped in the pampas for days. Now it is much better although many prefer to fly over it and reach Ushuaia by flying. There is also another way, much loved by backpackers, to get to Ushuaia, and that is to cross the border with Chile, arrive at Puerto Mont and board a boat heading south.
Regardless of how you choose to get to the southernmost city in the world, you should know that you are about to enter one of the most extreme places on the planet and, therefore, infinitely fascinating. Ushuaia It can be visited during its summer, otherwise the temperatures would not allow you to visit anything, the positive side is that there is midnight sun, so you will have the opportunity to make the most of the day. I definitely recommend a navigation through the Beagle Channel, a stop at Estancia Halberton to experience the excitement of finding yourself in the center of a penguin colony, and a beautiful hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park. If you are lucky you can always take an icebreaker to Antarctica, otherwise a plane to Buenos Aires and explore other places in the country.
Province Mendoza It is also very loved by Italians because it is the wine-growing area of Argentina. The landscape, but especially the wineries where the tastings take place, are a very different setting from that of Italy and France. Here we will find the great Wine Estates, enormous properties, of unbridled luxury that offer you very sophisticated tastings in dream places. So that you can fully enjoy this experience without taking risks, there are internal transports, such as buses, that allow you to move between one winery and another. It is certainly a unique experience, where you will learn a lot about the local wine tradition and how it has evolved from Italian and French producers. In the Mendoza area there are also some beautiful trekking routes given the proximity of the Andes.
The North of Argentina is a decidedly surprising place and very different from the rest of the country, it is a succession of desert canyons and colorful mountains. I suggest you start your Nordic exhibition from the city of Salta which is really beautiful, colonial, with a great climate and close to many rivers and forests. From Salta, even with day trips you can fully enjoy the wild landscapes found nearby, I suggest you don't miss the Quebrada di Cafayate, a truly spectacular canyon, adorned with giant cacti. The area is also worth a visit. khaki and the Bishop's Hill, a hyper panoramic road that climbs for 60 kilometers and 260 curves, not suitable for those who suffer from car problems.
To watch the Hill of 7 Colors, in the northern end of the area Purmamarca you should plan to sleep nearby. I really liked this small town burned by the sun and the altitude. It is located a few kilometers from the border with Bolivia and you will notice it at all times, from the people's clothes, to the food, to the colors with which they paint their houses or worship their llamas. The Hill of 7 Colors can be visited simply by walking to it from the town of Purmamarca, while to see the Salar, a small preview of the Salar de Uyuni, it is necessary to take transportation.
I'll be honest with you, if I had to tell you one area that I didn't really love, it's Cordova and its province. In my opinion, the city is nothing special, it has very few attractions and the province has beautiful vegetation and I certainly find interesting the cultural phenomenon that has seen these mountains transformed into a little Germany. After the Second World War, many Germans fled to Argentina, influencing the architecture of these places, very similar to the Bavarian one, and contributing their knowledge to the production of beer, a certainly curious and characteristic fact, but not worth deviating from. I can't help but reflect on the fact that many of the Germans who escaped were actually Nazis who wanted to cover their tracks so as not to be judged and this is something very serious and painful. A very interesting place is undoubtedly the Che House Museum in Alta Gracia, a small town about an hour from Córdoba.
I hope you return to Argentina many times and get to know it a little more on each trip, it is a truly interesting country, rich in history and nature, I hope my advice has been useful to you.
