|
Maldonado and Canelones
Punta del Este, the queen of the Uruguayan rivieraUruguay's
Maldonado Department is home to numerous well-known beachfront
tourist destinations, including Piriápolis, Punta Colorada, the Isla
de Lobos, and the most popular and developed of Uruguay's beach
towns, Punta del Este. Growing steadily from the 1896 opening of
Antonio Lussich's botanical garden, Punta del Este today hosts
around one million visitors during the summertime high season
(December through February).
Among the surrounding area's chief points of interest, perhaps the
best-known is Casapueblo, sculptor Carlos Páez Vilaró's residence,
hotel and atelier. Páez Vilaró began his "livable sculpture" in
1958, sometimes adding a new room to host a particular friend. Its
Punta Ballena setting is also a popular hang gliding spot.
A number of beach towns in Canelones Department are collectively
known as Uruguay's Gold Coast. Known for their sand dunes and the
rows of maritime pines planted after 1908 to help prevent beach
erosion, these communities have benefited from both their
tranquility and proximity to the nation's capital, Montevideo.
|
