Museum Day Today

Today (August 1) was the first day of my new schedule.  I didn't exactly get an early start, but after doing some research on Lonely Planet I decided to head downtown to check out two museums.  There are so many museums here in Cordoba you could visit a different one each day for weeks.

First stop was Museo Historico Provincial Marques de Sobremonte, which according to the guidebook:

It’s worth dropping into this museum, one of the most important historical museums in the country, if only to see the colonial house it occupies: an 18th-century home that once belonged to Rafael Núñez, the colonial governor of Córdoba and later viceroy of the Río de la Plata. It has 26 rooms, seven interior patios, meter-thick walls and an impressive wrought-iron balcony supported by carved wooden brackets.

The guidebook said that the cost of admission was $3 (three pesos - about 75 cents), but the woman working at the front desk said it was free. Visitors are not allowed to take photos of the interior of the home, but it reminded very much of John R Park Homestead and similar museums. 

Rather unassuming exterior of the museum

First interior courtyard

Courtyard number two

and courtyard number three

Next stop was Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr Genaro Perez,

This museum is prized for its collection of paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. Works, including those by Emilio Caraffa, Lucio Fontana, Lino Spilimbergo, Antonio Berni and Antonio Seguí, chronologically display the history of the cordobés school of painting, at the front of which stands Genaro Pérez himself. The museum is housed in Palacio Garzón, an unusual late-19th-century building named for its original owner; it also has outstanding changing contemporary art exhibits.

There wasn't a lot of art on display inside but it was nice to see the inside of such a beautiful building.  Cost of admission - nothing!

Exterior of Museum - can you believe that this was a private home?

Beautiful entry door and amazing tile floors throughout the house

 Inside the entryway

Statues in the Conservatory

A cool old elevator in the back of the building

That was enough culture for one day, so I went downtown for a quick lunch at Cafe Caesero, with a waiter who spoke flawless English.  It was such a nice break, being able to communicate without having to search through a guidebook for vocabulary.