The poetry arches
Verses carved in stone.
Véronique Debord-Lazaro — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Karney Hatch — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Paulo Guereta — CC BY 2.0 · Filipe Fortes — CC BY-SA 2.0
A quiet lookout in the old district of Yanahuara across the river from central Arequipa, framed by arches of white sillar stone inscribed with verses by the city's poets; through the arches rises El Misti volcano with its snow-capped cone, in Arequipa's most famous view. The district itself is one of the city's loveliest, with narrow lanes of white stone and calm colonial houses, a small tree-lined square and an old church with a carved façade. It is far less crowded than the centre, good for an unhurried walk. The best time is early morning, when the sky is clear and the volcano sharp, or just before sunset, when the white stone turns gold. Beside the lookout, stalls sell the local ice cream «queso helado», Arequipa's famous sweet. You can walk from the main square across the bridge in about fifteen minutes, or take a short taxi ride. The lookout is free and always open.
Verses carved in stone.
A perfect cone.
Arequipa's ice cream.
Yanahuara district, about 15 minutes' walk north-west of Arequipa's main square
A traditional frozen dessert of milk, cinnamon and coconut; its name means «frozen cheese», but it contains no cheese. It is sold at the Yanahuara lookout and the city's markets.
