Also known as Bosques de Palermo, or Palermo Woods, this sweeping green space abounds with small lakes and paddleboats, pretty gazebos, stands renting bikes and in-line skates, a monument to literary greats called El Jardín de los Poetas (the Garden of Poets), and the exquisite Rosedal (rose garden.)
Palermo’s green spaces, however, haven’t always been for the masses. The area around Parque 3 de Febrero was originally the private retreat of 19th-century dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas and became public parkland only after his fall from power – on February 3, 1852. Ironically for Rosas, the man who overthrew him – former ally Justo José de Urquiza – sits on his mount in a mammoth equestrian monument at the corner of Avs Sarmiento and Presidente Figueroa Alcorta.
The park’s more interesting destinations, however, include the Jardín Japonés; the Jardín Zoológico; the Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays; the Planetario Galileo Galilei (planetarium); the Campo Argentino de Polo (polo grounds); and the Hipódromo Argentino (racetrack). Just south of the zoo, and a major landmark in Palermo, is Plaza Italia , a half-moon shaped traffic island and important transport hub. Close by is La Rural (aka Predio Ferial), a large venue hosting anything from fashion shows to agriculture and farming expositions.
