Destination content © Wayne Bernhardson, used from Moon Handbooks Argentina, 1st Edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
Monumento Nacional a la Bandera
The most famous—and overwhelming—of Rosario’s monuments pays tribute to the Argentine flag and its designer Manuel Belgrano at the colossal Monumento Nacional a la Bandera, bounded by Santa Fe, Rosas, Córdoba, and the Avenida Belgrano (Santa Fe 581, tel. 0341/480-2238, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, except Mon., 2–7 p.m.). It’s tempting to call this colossal homage to the Argentine flag a monumental failure or even a shrine to kitsch, as the outline of architect Angel Guido’s design represents a ship on whose symbolic mast is a 78-meter tower on its bow. Alfredo Bigatti and José Fioravanti sculpted the patriotic statues that adorn it, while Eduardo Barnes carved the bas-reliefs depicting the country’s diverse geography.
The remains of General Manuel Belgrano, who designed the flag and first hoisted it here, lie in a vault at the base of the tower, but the pseudo-grandeur of the monument overshadows his own unpretentious achievement. Catalina de Vidal actually sewed the original flag, now preserved in the structure’s museum. Every June, Rosario observes La Semana de la Bandera (Flag Week), which culminates with ceremonies on June 20, the anniversary of Belgrano’s death.
For a panoramic view of the Paraná waterfront, it’s possible to take the elevator to the top of the tower. Admission to the tower of the Monumento Nacional a la Bandera costs US$.35. A military color guard raises the flag daily at 8:15 a.m. and lowers it at 7 p.m.
Other Sights and Activities
Rosario is a city of monuments and museums, ranging from the subtly unpretentious to the pompously patriotic. Most of these are in and around the city’s several attractive parks, both along the waterfront and its bluffs, and farther inland. A handful of sights are scattered elsewhere through the downtown area.
Across Avenida Belgrano, the Parque Nacional de la Bandera stretches several blocks along the floodplain in an area that still houses part of Rosario’s port facilities.
Continuing its policy of waterfront improvement, Rosario has dramatically upgraded its Estación Fluvial, the passenger terminal for the delta islands on Avenida Belgrano. It is home to the Museo del Paraná y las Islas (Avenida Belgrano and Rioja, tel. 0341/440-0751, 4–7:30 p.m. daily except Mon. and Tues., US$.35), the site of painter Raúl Domínguez’s unassuming murals of delta lifestyles. The heart of its museum, which focuses on life on the river and in the delta, is the series of murals by Rosarino painter Raúl Domínguez.
Like the best muralists, Domínguez (known as “the painter of the river”) deals with everyday themes rather than heroic deeds. Among his subjects are the environmental setting in panels such as Creciente (In Flood) and Bajante (In Drought), travels through the delta in Recorrido del Paraná (Exploring the Paraná), folklore in El Paraná y Sus Leyendas (The Paraná and Its Legends), and settlers’ livelihoods in Cortador de Paja (Thatch Cutter) and El Nutriero (The Otter Trapper).
The terminal is also the departure point for two-hour river excursions (US$2) on the Ciudad de Rosario (tel. 0341/449-8688), which sails at 2:30 and 5 p.m. weekends and holidays.
Several blocks to the southeast, Parque Urquiza is the site of the Complejo Astronómico Municipal (Municipal Observatory, tel. 0341/480-2533). Although light pollution may make a large city like Rosario less than ideal for viewing the southern skies through the telescopes at its Observatorio Víctor Capolongo, visitors can stargaze free of charge from 8:30–10 p.m. weeknights. In the same building, the Planetario Luis Cándido Carballo charges US$.70 for its weekly Sunday programs at 8 p.m.
The Museo Barnes de Arte Sacro (Laprida 1235, tel. 0341/448-3784) exhibits Bible-themed sculptures from one of the contributors to the Monumento a la Bandera. Actually seeing them, though, can be problematic; museum hours are 4–6 p.m. Thursday only. For a more diverse collection of European art and artifacts (and more-flexible hours), check the Museo de Arte Decorativo Firma y Odilo Estévez (Santa Fe 748, tel. 0341/480-2547). Occupying a distinguished Italianate residence, it’s open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 3–8 p.m.
Occupying the former Tribunales (Law Courts, a national monument dating from 1903) opposite Plaza San Martín, the Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales Doctor Angel Gallardo (Moreno 758, tel. 0341/472-1449) suffered a devastating fire in July 2003, losing some 70 percent of its natural history collections, and was closed as of writing.
The Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Juan B. Castagnino, (Avenida Pellegrini 2202, tel. 0341/480-2542, museocastagnino@infovia.com.ar, 2–8 p.m. daily except Tues., US$.35) at the corner of Avenida Pellegrini and Blvd. Oroño, is the city’s top fine arts museum. Housed in a spacious building dating from 1937, it boasts a diverse collection starting with a small assortment of European masters through 19th-century and later landscapes (both European and South American).
Its strength, though, is modern Argentine art both figurative and abstract, much of it by Rosarinos. Among the prominent artists on display are Prilidiano Pueyrredón, Benito Quinquela Martín, Antonio Berni, and Eduardo Schiavoni.
Immediately across Avenida Pellegrini from Parque Independencia, the museum also holds special rotating exhibits.
Parque Independencia is the city’s top recreational area and home to several museums. Throngs of joggers and cyclists lope and pedal along footpaths and trails, while families float on paddle boats in this urban sanctuary that gets heavier recreational use than any other public park in Rosario. Having celebrated its centennial in 2002, the beautifully designed park offers 112 hectares of verdant open space with museums, a small zoo, a rose garden, tennis courts and other athletic fields, a hippodrome, and an important soccer stadium.
Covered with bright-red bougainvillea, a neoclassical pergola follows the shoreline of the lake on Blvd. Oroño where, nightly at 8:30 p.m., colored lights illuminate a fountain of Aguas Danzantes, or “dancing waters.” Farther south, the Museo de la Ciudad (Blvd. Oroño 2350, tel. 0341/480-8665, 9 a.m.–noon weekdays except Mon., 3–6 p.m. weekends, free) focuses on the city’s history.
Immediately west of the lake, the Museo Histórico Provincial Doctor Julio Marc (tel. 0341/472-1457, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. weekdays except Tuesday, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. weekends and holidays, free) features 30 separate rooms tracing regional development from the earliest cultures through the Spanish invasion and evangelization on the frontier, but its focus is the post-independence period.
Immediately west of the museum, the Newell’s Old Boys soccer stadium is colloquially known as El Coloso (The Colossus). To its south, the park’s largest single construction is the Hipódromo Independencia, the racetrack.
Entertainment
Rosario has a diversity of entertainment offerings. The “Cartelera” page of Rosario/12, the local edition of the left-of-center porteño daily Página/12, has the most-complete listings. The bookstore El Ateneo (Córdoba 1473) has a Ticketek outlet for purchasing seats.
For the latest updates on live music acts and venues in town, visit the website Rosario Rock (www.rosariorock.com).
The four-screen Cine Monumental (San Martín 999, tel. 0341/421-6289) shows recent films. Other cinemas include the multiscreen Cines del Siglo (Córdoba and Roca, tel. 0341/425-0761), Cine del Patio (Sarmiento 778), Cine El Cairo (Santa Fe 1120, tel. 0341/421-9180), and the art-house Teatro del Rayo (San Martín 473, tel. 0341/421-3980).
The Centro Cultural Bernardino Rivadavia (San Martín 1080, tel. 0341/480-2401) sponsors theater and dance events, along with films, and a large gallery showcases local artists.
Teatro El Círculo (Laprida and Mendoza, tel. 0341/424-5349) is one of the city’s main performing arts theaters. Teatro Lavarden (Mendoza and Sarmiento, tel. 0341/472-1462) is another prestigious venue.
Teatro Vivencias (Mendoza 1173, tel. 217045) is a small experimental venue. Named for a Manuel Puig novel, La Traición de Rita Hayworth (Dorrego 1170, tel. 0341/448-0993) is another intimate local with unconventional offerings.
The bulk of Rosario’s pubs and bars lie within a triangle formed by Avenida Belgrano, Avenida Corrientes, and Córdoba.
O’Connell’s (Avenida Belgrano 716, tel. 0341/447-3979) is an Irish-style pub serving lunches (US$2), dinners (US$3), and imported beers. There’s a 7–9 p.m. happy hour daily, and sidewalk seating as well.
El Sótano (Mitre 785) showcases live local music, normally on weekends. Try also Bara Bajo (San Martín 370).
Buy tickets for Newell’s Old Boys, the main first-division soccer team, at Estadio Parque Independencia (Avenida Las Palmeras s/n, tel. 0341/421-1180). The city’s second favorite, Rosario Central, plays at the north end of town at its namesake Estadio Club Atlético Rosario Central (Blvd. Avellaneda and Avenida Génova, tel. 0341/438-9595).
Shopping
On weekends and holidays, antiques and bric-a-brac fill the stalls at the Mercado de Pulgas del Bajo, a flea market at Avenida Belgrano and Buenos Aires.
For gaucho gear and other souvenirs, try Raíces (Mendoza and Entre Ríos) or El Servanito (Entre Ríos 1147).
Librería SBS (Santa Fe 1340, tel. 0341/426-1276) sells English-language books.
Information and Services
The riverfront Ente Turístico Rosario (Etur, Avenida Belgrano and Buenos Aires, tel. 0341/480-2230, fax 0341/480-2237, info@rosarioturismo.com, www.rosarioturismo.com) is open 7 a.m.–7 p.m. daily. It has very good maps and obliging English-speaking staff.
For motorists, ACA is at Blvd. Oroño and 3 de Febrero, tel. 0341/421-0264.
ATMs are abundant in the downtown area. For cash and travelers checks, try Banex at Mitre 701.
Correo Argentino is at Córdoba 721; Rosario’s postal code is 2000.
There are numerous phone offices, such as Locutorio Catedral (Córdoba 801). El Internauta (Rioja 1378, Local 7) has Internet connections, but again there are many more.
Student- and budget-oriented travel agency Asatej is at Corrientes 653, 6th floor (tel. 0341/423-3797, rosario@asatej.com.ar). Grupo 3 de Turismo (Córdoba 1147, tel. 0341/449-1783) is the AmEx representative.
Lavandería Rioja is at Rioja 607.
Hospital Clemente Alvarez is (Rueda 1110, tel. 0341/480-2111) is 18 blocks south of the pedestrian junction of Córdoba and San Martín.
Getting There
Rosario has air connections to Buenos Aires, other northern Argentine destinations, and Santiago de Chile, bus connections almost everywhere, and train connections to BA and Tucumán only.
Aerolíneas Argentinas (Santa Fe 1412, tel. 0341/424-9332) flies twice every weekday to Buenos Aires and once on Sunday. Austral, at the same address, flies Friday only. Aerovip (Mitre 830, Local 32, tel. 0341/449-6800) provides air-taxi service to Aeroparque (Buenos Aires).
LanChile (San Lorenzo 1116, tel. 0341/424-2828 or 0341/426-3232) flies Thursday afternoons to Santiago de Chile.
Rosario is a major hub for overland transportation from the Estación Terminal de Ómnibus Mariano Moreno (Cafferata 702, tel. 0341/437-2384, www.terminalrosario.com.ar), about 15 blocks west of Plaza San Martin.
Typical domestic destinations, fares, and times include Santa Fe (US$5, two hours), Buenos Aires (US$10, four hours), Córdoba (US$15, six hours), Mendoza (US$13–18, 11–14 hours), Resistencia (US$13, 10 hours), Salta (US$22, 15 hours), Puerto Iguazú (US$23, 18 hours), and Bariloche (US$33, 23 hours).
Rosario has international bus services to Asunción, Paraguay (US$16–19, 14 hours) with Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (tel. 0341/438-0038); to Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (US$61, 30 hours) with Pluma (tel. 0341/437-3152); and to Montevideo, Uruguay (US$22, 10 hours) with El Rápido Internacional (tel. 0341/435-3224) or Encon (tel. 0341/439-5894). Except for Asunción, these services are few outside the summer peak season.
Trains to Buenos Aires (US$4, 5.5 hours) leave Monday at 5:57 a.m. and Friday at 6:30 p.m. from Estación Rosario Norte (Avenida del Valle and Avenida Ovidio Lagos, tel. 0341/430-7272). Tucumán-bound trains (US$13) pass Rosario Norte at 2:40 a.m. Tuesday and Saturday.
Getting Around
Rosario’s Aeropuerto Fisherton (tel. 0341/456-7997) is eight kilometers west of town; Aerolíneas Argentinas provides its own transfers, but public buses do not go any closer than about one kilometer from the airport. A taxi or remise costs about US$4.
Plaza Sarmiento is the hub of the city bus system, which now uses magnetic cards rather than coins. Bus No. 101 goes to the long-distance bus terminal, bus No. 120 to the Rosario Norte train station.
For car rental, Hertz/Millet is at Rioja 573 (tel. 0341/424-2408).
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