Casa Rosada

The Casa Rosada is Argentina's presidential palace — a pink Italianate building on the eastern side of Plaza de Mayo that is most famous for the balcony from which Eva Perón addressed the descamisados (the shirtless ones, Argentina's working class), Maradona celebrated the 1986 World Cup victory, and every Argentine president since has addressed the nation in moments of triumph or crisis.

The building's pink colour — which gives it its name — is one of Buenos Aires' most enduring mysteries. The most popular explanation is that President Sarmiento in the 1860s chose pink to blend the red of the Federalists with the white of the Unitarians, symbolising national unity. The less romantic explanation is that the original whitewash was mixed with ox blood as a weather sealant, and the colour was simply maintained. Either way, the building has been pink since at least the 1870s, and changing it would be unthinkable.

Free guided tours on weekends take visitors through the presidential offices, the Hall of Busts (every Argentine president is represented), the Salón Blanco (the main ceremonial room), and out onto the famous balcony — where you stand in the exact spot where Evita stood, looking down at the plaza below. The museum in the basement houses presidential artifacts including the desk where independence was planned and the sash of every president. The tours must be booked online in advance and fill up quickly, particularly around national holidays.