Pueblo Garzon

Garzón was a railway village that emptied as the line closed and the farms mechanised, down to a couple of hundred people around a dusty plaza. From the 2000s it was taken up: the chef Francis Mallmann opened a restaurant and small hotel in the old general store, an Argentine businessman planted a large olive and vineyard estate outside, and galleries followed. The village is still small and half empty, which is much of the appeal.

What you actually see

• The plaza - the dusty square the surviving village is arranged around.
• The restaurant - Mallmann's open-fire kitchen in the old general store.
• The vineyard and olive estate - the large planting outside the village.
• The half-empty streets - a village revived without being rebuilt.

When to go

December to March is the season; outside it much closes. The restaurant needs booking well ahead. Weekdays are quieter than weekends.

Honest expectations

The restaurant is expensive and must be booked long in advance. There is very little else in the village. Out of season the place is largely shut.

Nearby

Jose Ignacio is south, and Laguna Garzon is southeast.