Call it divine intervention.
As soon as I heard about Palacio Barolo, my inner literary nerd rejoiced. An enormous building designed to pay homage to Dante Alighieri and “The Divine Comedy”? Yes, please!
Since the building is now filled with staid offices and busy professionals, I figured it would be difficult to tour. Or, at least, located far across town.
Turns out Dante was pulling for me, because I could actually see the building from my hostel. All I had to do was walk across the street, fork over 30 pesos and sign up for one of the afternoon tours.
With Europe in chaos at the beginning of the 20th century, the structure was originally conceived as a place to house Dante’s remains and keep them safe.
The Italians, however, didn’t go for that plan. Dante is the father of the Italian language, known as “The Supreme Poet” throughout the country, and Italy wasn’t about to ship his ashes to Buenos Aires. So they hung on to their beloved poet — which means the building built for Dante is actually Dante-less.
Even so, the monument is a masterful work of architecture and design. When the building was finished in 1923, it was the highest in all of South America.
The building’s 100-meter height represents the 100 cantos of the poem.
The ground floor ushers visitors into hell. When the sun catches the nine arches — one to symbolize each circle of hell — they glow with fiery reds and yellows. Sinister gargoyles form a ring around the room.
The next 14 floors form purgatorio, where tormented souls wait to escape the sorrow and misery of sin for a state of grace. (Aside: There are many law offices on this level.)
Each floor has 11 or 22 offices to mimic the poem’s cantos, which have 11 or 22 stanzas.
And finally, climbing from floor 15 to 22, you can reach heaven.
The view is divine. Of course.
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