Palacio Barolo

Palacio Barolo was completed in 1923 for the Italian textile magnate Luis Barolo to a design by Mario Palanti, and both men were devotees of Dante: the building encodes the Divine Comedy in its structure, with a hundred metres of height for the hundred cantos, twenty-two floors matching the verses of each canto, a basement and ground floor representing hell, the middle floors purgatory, and a lighthouse at the summit standing for paradise, its beam once visible from Montevideo across the estuary. It was the tallest building in South America when it opened. Tours climb through the levels, explaining the symbolism and the Neo-Gothic and Indian-influenced ornament, and end at the lighthouse with a wide view over the avenue and rooftops.

What you actually see

• The Dante symbolism - the hell, purgatory and paradise structure explained floor by floor.
• The central atrium - the ornate lobby with its Latin inscriptions and vaulting.
• The lighthouse - the working beacon at the summit, climbed on tours.
• The rooftop view - Avenida de Mayo, the Congress and the city skyline.

When to go

Year-round; tours run at set times most days and in the evening on some, with the night tour offering the lit skyline. Booking ahead is sensible as group sizes are limited by the narrow stairs.

Honest expectations

The building is still a working office block, so access is only on tours and only to certain areas. The final climb to the lighthouse is up tight spiral stairs and unsuitable for anyone with mobility or claustrophobia concerns. Tours are mostly in Spanish, with fewer English slots.

Nearby

Plaza de Mayo lies east along the avenue; the Congress building is at the western end.