Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Recoleta is a residential district in northern Buenos Aires, Argentina, marked by wide avenues and elegant Belle Époque buildings. The streets are shaded by tall plane trees, and many buildings show facades with balconies, wrought-iron grilles, and French-style ornamentation.

In the 1870s, wealthy families left the city center because of yellow fever epidemics and settled on the higher ground. They built mansions and palaces in European style that still define the neighborhood today.

The name comes from the Recoletos friars who built a monastery here in the 18th century. Today locals stroll through the park spaces and visit the cultural center housed in the former monastery building, while tourists explore the nearby cafés and galleries.

On weekends, craft markets and street performances take place in the public squares, attracting many visitors. Those wishing to explore the area should start early in the morning when the parks are calmer and shops begin to open.

The public green spaces contain over two thousand trees, many of them more than one hundred years old with thick, twisted trunks. On sunny days, couples and families gather beneath the canopies to drink mate and chat.