Founded by ranchers in the early 20th century, the village of Pueblo Garzón, in the southeast of Uruguay, flourished for a few decades, then withered when the railway that ran through it closed. By the 1970s, it was all but a ghost town – but lately it has seen an extraordinary rebirth, says Mark Johanson in the FT, as restaurateurs, wine-makers and artists have moved in, “enchanted by its unpaved streets and time-warp nostalgia”.
Owing to the influx of arty visitors, “rustic-chic” boutique hotels are opening in its abandoned 1920s houses – yet the settlement retains its quiet, “dilapidated” charm.
It was the Argentinian celebrity chef Francis Mallmann who precipitated the village’s revival, by opening a restaurant and a five-room hotel, Garzón, on the edge of its “palm-lined” plaza. It drew its clientele from the chi-chi beach resort of José Ignacio, 30 minutes’ drive to the south, and from further afield (Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, is 90 miles west).
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Then the businessman Alejandro Bulgheroni planted vines in the surrounding countryside, which now produce excellent “Tannat-heavy” red blends, including an elegant Balasto. In 2016, he launched a “lavish” winery, Bodega Garzón, outside the village, and other boutique wineries have since opened, including Compañía Uruguaya de Vinos de Mar, which has a good restaurant.
Among the first artists to arrive was the US photographer Heidi Lender. Her creative institute, Campo, has a canteen where visitors mingle with resident artists. The Uruguayan artist Pablo Atchugarry has recently opened a sculpture park and a contemporary art museum, MACA, nearby, and there are several other new exhibition spaces in Pueblo Garzón, including the “ambitious” Walden Naturae.
The period from late December to late January is particularly lively, with three festivals to enjoy – the Campo Artfest, the José Ignacio International Film Festival and Este Arte, in nearby Punta del Este.
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