Exploring the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires on foot always yields surprises. On this occasion, we embarked on an urban hiking trek (Urban Trek / city-trekking), a low-intensity steady-state (LISS) urban walking activity that allowed us to connect with the architecture, nature, and art of the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo. It was a walk as active as it was contemplative: we started at the intersection of Charcas and Uriarte streets, walked through the streets of Palermo until reaching Lago de Regatas, walked around the lake, and headed back to finish at Plaza Italia.
Below, we share the complete log with each of the discoveries and milestones along our route.
1. Santa Adela Parish: History and Faith on Luis María Campos Avenue
One of the first points of architectural and spiritual interest is the Santa Adela Parish, located at 155 Luis María Campos Ave. Inaugurated in 1940, it is one of the most representative churches in the neighborhood. Its neocolonial façade makes it a visual gem of the area.
• Origin and Construction: According to the Guía de Sacerdotes y Parroquias de la Arquidiócesis de Buenos Aires (Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, 2000 edition), the land originally belonged to the jurisdiction of San Benito; construction of the church began in 1939, and it was blessed in 1940.
• Historical and Architectural Overview: Designed by architect Carlos Massa, it shares its neocolonial style with the San Isidro Labrador parish. It was built thanks to the patronage of Elisa Udaondo (sister of historian Enrique Udaondo) in memory of her mother, Adela Peña Zalaya de Udaondo, as stated on the commemorative plaque engraved in the church's narthex.
2. Urban Art Gallery: Mural Jam on the Jungle and Adventure
Continuing our walk, we came across an impressive perimeter wall featuring a continuous urban art and graffiti intervention (blockbuster style / mural jam). The long wall makes an impact through its unifying theme: a dense tropical jungle background with foliage in deep, somber green tones that harmoniously connects all the panels.
This mural stands out for combining multiple urban art techniques:
• Wildstyle and Graffiti Lettering: Complex letters structured in blue and white tones with orange and black outlines, highlighted with volumetric shadows.
• Comic and Cartoon Illustration: Characters full of attitude, such as an anthropomorphic toucan wearing sunglasses and a gold chain, a warrior/explorer dressed in leopard print, and a friendly, cartoon-style chimpanzee.
• Photorealism and 3D Volume: Striking hyper-realistic faces (such as a female portrait at the bottom), the head of a rhinoceros beetle with metallic highlights, a roaring tiger, and an enraged gorilla.
3. Treasures of Urban Flora: Chinese Lantern and Fuchsia Sage
In the gardens and green spaces along the route, botany also takes center stage.
• Chinese Lantern (Callianthe picta): Formerly classified as Abutilon pictum or Abutilon striatum, this evergreen shrub from the mallow family (the same as hibiscus) is native to South America (commonly found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). It catches the eye with its palmate-lobed leaves—similar to maple leaves—and its showy, lantern- or bell-shaped drooping flowers in shades of red, orange, or yellow with dark veins.
• Nature and Symbolism: It produces abundant nectar that constantly attracts hummingbirds and bees. In the Victorian language of flowers (florigraphy), it was associated with meditation, delicacy, and peaceful hope due to the way its flowers hang bowed toward the ground. In garden folklore, this modest posture is contrasted with the cheerful vitality of the birds that visit it.
• Fuchsia Spike Sage: We also encountered a sage in very intense magenta tones (commonly Salvia involucrata or the hybrid Salvia 'Wendy's Wish'). Its most striking feature is the prominent magenta/fuchsia bracts at the end of the stem, which envelope the buds before their tubular flowers open completely.
4. Las Cañitas Square and a Transforming Landscape
We took a pause at Plaza de Las Cañitas, a green space inaugurated in mid-2023 between Av. Dorrego, Báez, Clay, and Huergo streets. It is an excellent spot to observe the dynamism of the neighborhood, with its green areas and outdoor calisthenics/fitness equipment.
Looking up toward the background, there is a striking architectural contrast provided by the ongoing construction of the Decó Polo real estate project (by developer ABV), consisting of two curved-design towers with large windows offering direct views of the Campo Argentino de Polo and the square itself.
5. Native Fauna Sightings in the City
Walking attentively allows one to discover fascinating details about urban birds:
• A Rufous Hornero on the Sidewalk (Furnarius rufus): We saw our national bird walking along the sidewalk. A curious fact about this species is that they sometimes build multi-story "houses" or unfinished extensions: if the pair is unsatisfied with the orientation or entrance, or if the structure suffers damage during construction, they build a new nest directly on top of the previous one, creating real mud "towers." Furthermore, once abandoned, their nests are used by species that cannot mold mud themselves, such as swallows, sparrows, or mockingbirds.
• Rufous-bellied Thrush (Turdus rufiventris): A curious and unusual detail about this bird in urban environments is that it often starts singing in the middle of the night (around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.), disoriented by light pollution and city noise. In addition, they have the ability to mimic brief fragments of ambient sounds or calls from other birds.
• House Wren (Troglodytes aedon): Perched on a wire mesh and shade cloth screen, we spotted this small bird with brownish-chestnut plumage, fine dark bars on its wings and tail, a slender curved bill, and a short tail that it usually keeps erect. It is extremely restless and curious, often seen flitting through fences, walls, and shrubs in search of insects and spiders.
6. Open-Air Urban Art and Alfredo Segatori's Intervention
Further along the route, street art intercepted us once again with a long perimeter wall covered in colorful graffiti:
• Left/Central Section: Displays bluish and gray tones simulating a sky through which a hot air balloon and large seabirds (such as seagulls or albatrosses) fly.
• Base of the Wall: Highlights several expressive interventions: a stylized mask or figure with a bright red frame, a detailed portrait of a baby's face, other drawings of eyes and a suggested face, along with lettering, graphic markings, and geometries in bright primary colors (blue, red, yellow) in a spontaneous street art style.
Along another stretch, we witnessed creation live: under the viaduct / railway overpass, we ran into renowned artist Alfredo Segatori, who was creating a freehand work featuring an anthropomorphic sun packed with expressive features.
7. Memory and Infrastructure: Monument to the Croatian Mother and the Fan Fest
Heading deeper into the Palermo Woods area and Lago de Regatas, we appreciated two points of high social and cultural interest:
• Monument to the Croatian Mother: Located in the Palermo woods, this monument pays warm tribute to Croatian families and immigration in Argentina, depicting a mother figure lovingly holding and protecting her children.
• Fan Fest Area: We passed through an area equipped with fencing, giant screens, and a stage structure, set up for outdoor broadcasts of community or sporting events in the city.
Conclusion
Reaching Lago de Regatas, walking around its lake, and starting the return trip toward Plaza Italia was the perfect closing to this route. City-trekking proves that you don't need to go far from the city to enjoy nature, architectural heritage, and contemporary artistic expressions.
Link to Wikiloc: https://es.wikiloc.com/rutas-senderismo/walk-through-palermo-caba-287851888
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