Corrientes

About

Situated on the bend of the Rio Paraná, the river is the lifeblood of Corrientes. Indeed, it’s name (shortened from the original “San Juan de Vera de las Siete Corrientes”) comes from the Spanish for “Currents”. The capital of the eponymous region, which sits directly across the river from it’s sister city Resistencia (capital of the Chaco region), is the setting of the Graham Greene novel The Honorary Consul. A major attraction of this city is the elegant balconied colonial-era buildings, and the pilgrimage site of Church of La Cruz, where the venerated 16th century Torres de Vera cross is located. Corrientes’ crowning glory is the costanera, a long stretch of riverside promenade where strolling, jogging, sipping mate and eating ice cream alongside the wide Paraná is the order of the day. A large variety of bars and restaurants populate this stretch, and gold sandy beaches sit alongside shady parks.