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than any other barrio in Buenos Aires, La Boca flaunts its
uniqueness. Known as the "República de la Boca", one of
the first things you may notice is the local habit of walking on the road
rather than the pavement. This is probably partly due to the disastrous
state of some of the pavements (many of which are raised because of
frequent flooding) but many porteños would claim that it was an example
of boquenses’ refusal to play by the rules. But Boca is most
famous for its brightly coloured wooden and corrugated iron houses, a
tradition started by Genovese immigrants and encouraged by Boca’s most
famous artist, Benito Quinquela Martín who, in the 1930s, donated the
land to build the Teatro de la Ribera and Museo de Bellas
Artes de La Boca (Avenida Pedro de Mendoza 1835; Mon-Fri 8am–6pm;
Sat-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Jan; free). |
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recently, Boca has acquired one of the city’s best art galleries, the Fundación
Proa (Avenida Pedro de Mendoza 1929; Tues-Sun 11am-7pm; US$3/US$2
students). Housed within a strikingly converted mansion, Proa has no
permanent collection but hosts some fascinating and diverse exhibitions
ranging from pre-Colombian Argentine art to twentieth-century Mexican
painting. The gallery is topped by a tiny roof terrace which is one of the
few places where you can get a view over La Boca.
Just round the corner is the epicentre of Boca
tourism: Caminito, an ex-railway siding transformed into a
pedestrian street and "open-air art museum". The paintings on
sale, however, are generally less charming than the much-photographed
surrounding buildings. If Caminito’s all a bit too polished for your
taste, then wander over to neigbouring Garibaldi, with its
overgrown train lines running down the middle, or Plaza Solís, a
few blocks away on the other side of the main avenue, Almirante Brown.
Football fans will want to visit "La Bombonera" (Brandsen
805), home to the Boca Juniors, Argentina’s most popular team and the
club with which Diego Maradona started his career. After a wander round,
stop for a chopp (draught lager) at La Perla on the corner
of Del Valle Iberlucea and Pedro de Mendoza, but not before taking a look
at the majestic transporter bridge which towers above the notoriously
evil-smelling waters of the Riachuelo.
Boca has gained a reputation for being unsafe for
tourists but, armed with a little sensitivity and an awareness that the
area has pockets of real poverty, you shouldn’t have any problems. |