MEDELLIN HOLIDAYS

Medellin, known as the ‘city of eternal spring’, is located deep in the fertile and mountainous Aburra valley. Being surrounded by mountainous peaks means there are spectacular views everywhere you look and at an altitude of 1,538 m, this city has an eternal springtime with an average temperature of 20° C. We recommend taking the cable car up to Parque Arvi which leads to some of the best views overlooking the city.

Drifting around the city’s narrow streets on foot is the best way to get know it. The main Plaza – Plazoleta de las Esculturas is home to a number of museums, whilst at night the barrios of El Poblado is the place to be. Home to some of the best restaurants, booming bars and nightlife that goes on until the early hours.

In 1541, the Spanish named this valley as San Bartolome, then in 1616, under the orders of Francisco Herrera Campuzano it was renamed San Lorenzo de Aburra. The name, Aburra, stems from a translation from the Aburraes and Yamesies indigenous tribes which refers to the embroidery in the cotton and textile work that the pre-Hispanic people used to do. Then, on November 2, 1675, the Villa de Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria de Medellin was founded.

Originally Medellin was a modest, humble town which is evident from its colonial buildings that are far from sumptuous, and whose origins date back to the coffee boom of the 20th Century. Once coffee fever had taken hold of Medellin, the city’s economic development began in earnest. While the city initially flourished, things stagnated somewhat in the 1980’s at the height of the narcos period, led by Pablo Escobar.

The name Medellin became a by-word for drugs, violence and the narco-mafia. After a disastrous era of severe violence the city has turned the page on these dark days and the population, showing its strength, has made clear its desire to associate the city international image with its real values: the thriving cultural life in the fields of journalism, literature, urban and fashion design, as well as the artwork and sculptures of the globally renowned artist, Fernando Botero.

The city is well worth visiting during the annual Flower Festival, held over two weeks during July and August. The key events and perhaps the most interesting are the exhibitions of orchids, birds and flowers and the most representative parade, that of the Silleteros. During this procession the participants carry floral displays weighing up to 60 kilos each. The name “silletero” comes from the tradition that these farmers used to, and indeed still do practice, of carrying their children on chairs. However, this tradition has become a cultural phenomenon and rather than carrying children, the farmers transport these heavy floral arrangements instead.