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Located in the centre of Buenos Aires Province, 300km south of the capital, AZUL is mainly useful as a transport hub, with around one hundred buses a day connecting the town with the rest of the interior and the coast. Architecturally, it's a bit of a mixed bag, though there are some attractive late nineteenth-century houses, which give Azul an elegant feel. Though there's little to detain you in the town itself, excursions can be made to some gently rolling sierras some 50km to the south, where there are a number of unusual sights including Latin America's first Trappist monastery . At Easter, the town plays host to an Encuentro Internacional de Motos , a motorbike rally which has attracted motorcyclists from all over Latin America and from as far afield as the US. The town owes its name (Azul means "blue") to the indigenous inhabitants of the region who called the stream along which they lived Callvu-Leovu, or "the stream of the blue country". Plaza San Martin , Azul's main square, is noteworthy for its distinctive black and white Art Deco paving which gives the rather unnerving impression of walking on an undulating surface; it is surrounded by an eclectic mixture of buildings including the Neoclassical Palacio Municipal . Dating from 1886, the building's originally harmonious proportions were thrown somewhat out of kilter by the addition of a spindly watchtower. On the other side of the square stands Azul's cathedral, the neo-Gothic Catedral Nuestra Senora del Rosario , built in 1906. The cathedral's lofty central tower is echoed by smaller towers which descend on either side, creating a strong triangular shape. On the corner of San Martin and Alvear is the Museo y Archivo Historico E. Squirru (Wed & Thurs 8am-noon, Fri & Sat 4-8pm, Sun 4-9pm) which holds a good selection of Mapuche silverware; mate gourds and rifles as well as examples of traditional crafts which are currently being revived in Azul, including a typical pampa poncho, distinguished from other Argentine ponchos by its strong geometric design, predominantly black and white interspersed with a little red. Continuing west along Calle San Martin will bring you to an attractive riverside walk along the Arroyo Azul. Head left along the river to reach the woody Parque Municipal Sarmiento , distinguished by its many varieties of trees including lush magnolias and palms. Some distance further on lies Azul's vast balneario municipal , an artificially widened stretch of the Arroyo, good for a refreshing dip in hot weather.
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