Castillo de Piria

About this place

Castillo de Piria is a monumental building in Maldonado Department in southeast Uruguay, built as the home of Francisco Piria, the businessman who created the resort of Piriápolis. Today it is a municipal museum bearing its founder's name, visited all year, with a red and pink front, toothed towers and a long approach among palms. Piria returned from Europe in 1889 inspired by the idea of coastal tourism, and in 1890 bought about 2,700 hectares from Cerro Pan de Azúcar to the Río de la Plata. He began the castle in 1894 to a design by the engineer Aquiles Monzani and opened it on 17 August 1897. In 1975 it became a nightclub run by the artist Carlos Páez Vilaró, and in 1980 the municipality of Maldonado bought and restored it. A long road lined with palms and pines leads to a two-storey front with arched windows, its door guarded by two red dog statues. Battlements top the towers, and columns with carved capitals flank the door. Inside are corridors and an old carriage with red wheels, and the park holds a raised timber gazebo and the ruins of old outbuildings. It is 4.7 km in a straight line from Piriápolis and 2.2 km from Cerro Pan de Azúcar, so both fit half a day. Check opening times, which may change with the season, and ask before taking pictures inside. Do not climb the statues or enter the ruins at the back, which are fragile. The park is lovely for a stroll, so bring water and a hat in summer.