Source: 123rf
THEUruguay “It's one of those countries where they should put football goals at the borders. That country is nothing more than a large football field with the addition of some accidental presences: trees, cows, roads, buildings...".
Jorge Valdano, former Argentine footballer and World Champion with the Argentine national team in 1986, said it.
And it is in Uruguay that the 'garra charrua' is cultivated, that is, that uniquely Uruguayan attitude that leads the players (but the entire population in general) to always give everything, body and soul, always, until the last moment. There is no translation, it resembles grit but it is something more.
This is one of the many unsuspected aspects of this South American country which, unlike Argentina, Brazil and Peru, is never among the top travel destinations, but which should be.
For example, not everyone knows that even Tango is danced in Uruguay, as in Argentina. But not only that: the very icon of this dance, famous throughout the world, namely the musical piece 'La Cumparsita', was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. 'La Cumparsita' was born in the capital and was composed by the Uruguayan musician Gerardo Matos Rodriguez between the end of 1915 and the beginning of 1916. It was performed for the first time ever in a bar in the center of the city. The very name of the song refers to Montevideo as it was born on the occasion of the carnival celebrations, as a march by a "comparsa" (masked group) of students from Montevideo. The most famous tango song was therefore proclaimed the Uruguayan popular and cultural anthem in 1997. Even today the two countries, which border each other, dispute the paternity of this musical genre, declared an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
And speaking of carnival, not everyone knows that, if the one in Rio is the most famous in the world, the Uruguayan one is the longest: it lasts 40 days. The celebrations open with a huge costume parade, with music and dance, and then end with a competition. The 'Societies of Negri and Lubolos', also called 'extras', are carnival groups that interpret different musical rhythms linked to tango and 'candombe', another typical Uruguay musical genre of African origin accompanied by drums.
And then there is the bond that this country has with Italy that few know about. In fact, in Uruguay there is a piece of Piedmont. It's about Peñarol, a town founded by Giovan Battista Crosa, an emigrant who arrived from Pinerolo, in the province of Turin, in 1790. Years later it became a 'barrio' of Montevideo where half the people have Italian origins. Don't you want to go and discover a country about which so little is known? You will feel at home.
