Besides the multitude of wine bodegas in and around Mendoza, there is more to see. Plaza Independencia is at the heart of the city and it is a lovely shady place to people watch or stroll around, particularly on weekends when local artisans gather to sell their wares. At the centre of Plaza Independencia is the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno which stages temporary exhibitions from local artists. Open Sun-Mon 4pm-8pm, Tues 9am-1pm and 4pm-8pm. Tel: +54 (0) 261 425 7279. On the western side is the Park Hyatt hotel, formerly the site of the Plaza Hotel where Juan Peron and Eva Duarte once stayed. Next door is the Teatro Independencia.

On either corner, a block farther out, is a smaller individual plaza. Plaza Espana to the east has pretty tiled benches and walkways beneath shady green foliage as well as murals which depict scenes from Don Quixote and Martin Fierro. To the west along Montevideo is Plaza Italia on which the Italian community has erected two monuments to their country. Just before the Fiesta de la Vendimia, the Festa in Piazza takes places in the plaza. It is one large Italian party. Just east of the plaza on Montevideo 544 is the 19th-century mansion house-turned-museum, the Museo del Pasado Cuyano. On display are weaponry, old furniture and paintings as well as a beautifully carved altarpiece from the 15th century. Open Mon-Fri 9am-12.30pm. Tel: +54 (0) 261 423 6031.

To the northeast of Plaza Independencia is Plaza San Martin. The pink and cream church, the Basilica de San Francisco can be seen on the northwest corner. It was supposedly one of the first buildings to be constructed after the famous 1861 earthquake. The plaza also lies at the heart of the city’s financial district and surrounding it is the early 20th-century Banco de la Nacion, the Banco de Galicia and the Banco de Mendoza. The latter is no longer a bank but the Espacio Contemporaneo de Arte which hosts temporary art exhibitions. Open Mon-Sat 9am-1pm and 4pm-9pm, Sun 4pm-9pm. Tel: +54 (0) 261 429 0117. Less noteworthy of the four plazas beyond Independecia is Plaza Chile although it has a monument of the two great liberators, Jose Francisco de San Martin and Bernardo O’Higgins.