Square and Fair

If Buenos Aires is, as has been said, the capital of an empire that never existed, then many of its 640 plazas and squares are symbols of its cosmopolitanism, tributes to the lands it didn’t conquer. Day and night, life unfolds in these animated spaces, which vary in size, statuary, and state of repair throughout a densely populated metropolis of 16 million.

At the heart of the largest neighbourhood, Palermo, sits Plaza Italia, with an electric pulse of endless foot traffic, umpteen taxis, and rumbling subways. Not far away is Plaza Inmigrantes de Armenia, with its vintage carousel and brand new playground, featuring a giant palm tree jungle gym and interactive tall ship (a nod to the city’s coat of arms). In the opposite direction sprawl the Bosques de Palermo, one of my favourite places to run anywhere. In between editing the pages of this issue, I have logged many kilometres here, passing Plaza República de Chile and Plaza República Oriental del Uruguay some days...