The parkland designed by the French landscape architect Charles Thays, is the perfect place to take long walks. At the end of each avenue of trees you will discover impressive trees, old buildings reminders of the history of the Estancia, or the beautiful chapel, a scaled-down replica of the Notre Dame de Passy church in Paris. For those who simply want to enjoy the landscape and breath the fresh air of the countryside, these walks are also unique.
Historical trail
One of the most special features in Dos Talas’ grounds is this charming miniature chapel, found at the end of an avenue of trees on the edge of the park - a quiet meditative corner. In 1914, the eldest daughter of Agustina Luro died tragically in France, at the young age of 33. In her memory, her mother ordered the construction of this chapel, a scaled-down replica of the Notre Dame de Passy church in París.
Another decorative structure of the parkland is the dovecote built at the end of the nineteenth century, which served a very important function at one time in Dos Talas’ history. When French menus were fashionable here, pigeon was often on the menu, and these birds were bred in this pretty dovecot, now rather romantically overgrown.
Nearer the main house, we’ve converted the study used by founder Pedro Luro in 1858 into a museum in his memory. This quaint little building contains a wealth of furniture, books, documents and objects he used in daily life and which belonged to his immediate family. From the fashion magazines of nineteen nineties Paris to ledgers of estancia business, this little museum offers fascinating insights into the charmed life of a past era.
This trail can be done in the English style break that belonged to Luro´s family, and feel, once again, the strong links we have with the family past.
Watching birds at Dos Talas isn’t just a treat for the experts, since you’ll come across different birds wherever you go in the parkland. In fact, of all the 1000 species to be found all over Argentina, 300 of them have been spotted in our grounds. So Dos Talas is really as much a refuge for bird life in its unspoilt surroundings, as it is for humans! The lagoon is almost 60 hectares in size and it’s the ideal refuge for black-necked swans, herons, flamingos, a wide variety of ducks, and other members of the fauna of the pampas.
For twenty years, Agustina’s second daughter, Bebé Sansinena de Elizalde, ran Argentina’s most successful literary salon “Amigos del Arte” (Friends of the Arts), filling the estancia with a constant stream of illustrious guests. Among them was the great Argentine writer, Ricardo Güiraldes, part of whose famous work about the Gaucho, “Don Segundo Sombra” was written here in 1921. Other famous guests include Ortega y Gassett, Bioy Casares, Victoria and Silvina Ocampo, and Mujica Laínez – all important names in the flowering of Argentina’s literary history.
In the library of the main house you’ll breathe the heady air of early twentieth century literary salons, with books, manuscripts and photographs as mementos of that glorious period. The walls are lined with more than 3,000 volumes, written in French, Spanish, Italian and English.
Dos
Talas-(7100) Dolores - Cel:+54 9 (2245) 503091-estancia@dostalas.com.ar