San Antonio de Areco, the ultimate gaucho (cowboy) town, is situated amid verdant pampa grasslands otherwise known as the pampa humeda (wet pampa). Its pretty cobblestone streets surrounding the Plaza Ruiz de Arellano are lined with old colonial-style buildings such as the Casa de los Martínez, the Iglesia Parroquial San Antonio de Padua, and the edifice which once housed the town’s first generator, now the Centro Cultural Usina Vieja. San Antonio also boasts a several saddlers and silversmiths that produce all manner of gaucho paraphernalia - belts, strirrups, spurs, knives and in particular mate cups - including the Centro Cultural y Taller Draghi. Meanwhile, there’s an excellent collection of gaucho artefacts on display at the Museo Gauchesco Ricardo Guiraldes.

And each year on 10 November San Antonio celebrates its gaucho traditions in the Dia de la Tradicion, the birthdate of Jose Hernandez, author of one of the country’s best known gauchos Martin Fierro. The Dia de la Tradicion forms part of a greater celebration, the week-long Fiesta de la Tradition, with gaucho competitions, events, parades and more. San Antonio de Areco is only 115 km from Buenos Aires, which makes it very popular with day trippers and those portenos wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.