Casa Viola
A tiled colonial house.
Cmasi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cmasi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Casalin c — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Casalin c — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Casalin c — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Manzana de la Rivera is a block of restored historic houses forming a cultural centre in central Asunción, opposite the López Palace. It stands about 130 metres in a straight line from the palace, and from its upper levels you can see Asunción Bay. In the early 1990s architecture students campaigned to save the run-down houses, opposing a plan to demolish them for a square. The city bought the properties, and restoration began in 1991 to turn them into the city's cultural centre. The oldest is the Casa Viola, a colonial house from 1750 to 1758 with a two-sided tiled roof and a front gallery. The complex brings together houses from different periods, with red tile roofs and green inner courtyards, colourful walls and carved wooden doors and windows. Inside are the municipal library and the City Memory Museum, which shows a model of the historic centre and finds such as a Guaraní funerary urn. Check opening times and exhibitions before you visit. Its shady courtyards make a good break while exploring the historic centre.
A tiled colonial house.
Shady inner gardens.
A model of the old centre.
129 Juan de Ayolas Street, Asunción, Paraguay
Palacio de LópezParaguay's seat of government, an elegant white palace on the Bay of Asunción, b2 minutes walk4.7
Costanera de AsunciónA modern promenade along the Bay of Asunción and the broad Paraguay River, runni3 minutes walk4.5
Casa de la IndependenciaA simple white colonial house from 1772, one of Asunción's oldest surviving buil4 minutes walk4.5
National Pantheon of the HeroesThe National Pantheon of the Heroes is a white domed building in central Asunció7 minutes walk
Metropolitan CathedralThe Metropolitan Cathedral is the main Catholic church of Asunción, in the heart9 minutes walkBy a student campaign in the 1990s and restoration from 1991.
The López Palace, about 130 metres away.