Introducing Rosario

The boom times are back for Rosario, birthplace of both the Argentine flag and ‘Che’ Guevara, and an important riverport. The derelict buildings of the long costanera have been converted into galleries, restaurants and skate parks, and the river beaches and islands buzz with life in summer. The center – a curious mishmash of stunning early-20th-century buildings overshadowed by ugly apartments – has a comfortable, lived-in feel, and the down-to-earth rosarinos (people from Rosario) are a delight. All are very proud of the city’s current claim to fame: Lionel Messi, a golden boy of world soccer, is Rosario born and bred.