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Date: July 01, 2010

Argentina Football Mania

A look at where Argentina´s football legends grew up; football-inspired travel and how to avoid the football altogether

In a month of global World Cup fever, Argentina is in a veritable football frenzy. The passion for the sport is contagious and visitors to the country will find themselves swept up in the emotion. Football fans visiting Buenos Aires are naturally drawn to Boca Juniors’ football ground, known as “La Bombonera” because of its chocolate box shape, and the excellent Boca Juniors museum but football experiences can take you considerably further afield.

 

If you have ever wondered where Messi, Tevez, Heinze, Demichelis and company get their football prowess from, you only need to look at where they grew up. The vast majority of Argentina’s football heroes are from the Pampas. Surrounded by infinite green space and fresh air and brought up on a diet of prime beef, these Argentines have a natural edge. For foreign visitors the Pampas is a rewarding part of Argentina to explore by road or horseback: accessible yet wild; immense but welcoming. For a taste of colonial life and gaucho tradition, stay on an estancia.

 

To witness football fanaticism first hand, visit Rosario. This city of culture on the banks of the Paraná, home to Messi, Heinze, Di María and Rodriguez, is where the Church of Maradona was founded. Here a group of die-hard fans created an entire religion around the national icon, Diego Maradona.


   
Córdoba, home to Argentina´s football captain Demichelis, is a destination for those looking for a combination of adventure activities in striking surroundings, succulent meat feasts, and culture, in the form of UNESCO protected Jesuit heritage sites. In Córdoba city stay at the chic, new and centrally located Azur Real boutique hotel. 

 

For those who want to get as far away from the football as possible we suggest:

 

Skiing in Patagonia

The ski season has just begun. Brush shoulders with South America´s elite on the uncrowded pistes of any of the eight ski resorts in the Argentine Andes. Bariloche´s Cerro Catedral is the biggest ski resort in South America and offers a wide range of activities on and off-piste. For prime location at the foot of the slopes, stay at Galilleo Boutique Hotel, a favourite among local celebrities. For a break from skiing, discover the Andean Lake District by boat, in one of Turisur’s lake crossings. Escape for the day on a lake excursion or cross the Andes by water and continue on to Chile.  

 

Adventure in the high Andes

You can´t get much further away from civilization than the high Andean provinces of Salta and Jujuy in the north west of Argentina. One of the best ways to see this region of jagged peaks, sprawling valleys, dramatic gorges, desolate desert and dazzling salt flats is by train. The Train to the Clouds is the world´s highest railway. The train reaches 4200m at its highest point along its 217km journey. Alternatively, this part of the Andes offers some exhilarating drives. Socompa organizes bespoke adventure trips throughout the Puna.