Teatro Colón — Eines der Großen Opernhäuser der Welt
Teatro Colón (Cerrito 628, Buenos Aires — the national opera house of Argentina, built 1889-1908, seating 2,478, one of the five acoustically finest opera houses in the world alongside La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera Garnier, and the Royal Opera House in London): the Teatro Colón is the most important performing arts venue in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest opera house in the Americas, with a 35-metre-wide stage, a seven-storey fly tower, an auditorium with perfect sight lines from all levels, and acoustic properties that the German manufacturer Siemens measured as among the three finest in the world.
- 1
Teatro Colón Main Auditorium — Acoustic Legend
The Teatro Colón's main auditorium (2,500 seats, 1908) is consistently ranked among the world's five best opera acoustics — the horseshoe shape, upholstered walls, and suspended ceiling create a natural resonance that Luciano Pavarotti declared the finest in the world.
- 2
Teatro Colón Backstage Tour — Taller de Utilería
The Teatro Colón makes almost all its own sets, costumes, and wigs in onsite workshops ('talleres') — guided backstage tours reveal the costume tailoring rooms, the stage machinery controlling 11 moving platforms, and the 1000 sq m underground rehearsal stage.
- 3
Avenida 9 de Julio — The World's Widest Avenue
The Avenida 9 de Julio (140m wide, 16 lanes) is the world's widest avenue — its central pedestrian median holds the 67m Obelisco (1936) marking the spot where the Argentine flag was first raised in Buenos Aires in 1812.
- 4
Teatro Cervantes — National Theatre
The Teatro Cervantes (1921), donated to Argentina by the Spanish community, is Buenos Aires' national theatre — its façade replicates the University of Alcalá de Henares, and its gilded interior has hosted every major Argentine theatrical production.
- 5
Calle Florida Pedestrian Shopping
Calle Florida is Buenos Aires' premier pedestrian shopping street — street tango dancers perform at the intersections, money changers ('arbolitos') offer parallel exchange rates, and the Galerías Pacífico mall occupies a Beaux-Arts building with Diego Rivera-inspired murals.
- 6
Buenos Aires Art Nouveau Architecture
Buenos Aires has the Southern Hemisphere's finest collection of Art Nouveau architecture — the Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes (1894, Royal Doulton tiles), the Confitería del Molino (under restoration), and the dozens of fin-de-siècle apartment buildings of Recoleta.