A Living Canvas in La Boca
No trip to Buenos Aires is complete without snapping a photo in front of the brightly painted corrugated iron houses of Caminito. Located in the working-class neighborhood of La Boca, this street museum is a vibrant celebration of the city's immigrant past.
The iconic colorful facades of Caminito.
Immigrant Roots
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, La Boca was the main port of entry for European immigrants, largely from Genoa, Italy. Too poor to buy traditional building materials, they constructed conventillos (shared boarding houses) using leftover scrap metal from the shipyards and painted them with whatever leftover maritime paint they could find.
The Birth of Caminito
In the 1950s, local artist Benito Quinquela Martín spearheaded a project to restore a neglected alleyway, painting the houses in bright colors and turning the street into an open-air museum. Today, Caminito is filled with tango dancers, artists selling their work, and lively cafes.
Map of Caminito Street Museum
Safety Tip
While Caminito is very tourist-friendly and heavily policed during the day, it is highly recommended to stick to the main tourist streets (where the crowds are) and leave before nightfall, as the surrounding residential areas of La Boca can be unsafe after dark.