Villa de Leyva: Cobbled streets
Last weekend I spent in Villa de Leyva, a town of some 5000 inhabitants a few hours north of Bogotá.
Villa de Leyva is a beautiful, extremely well-preserved colonial town, founded in 1572. Nowadays the town is a trendy weekend spot for Bogotanos, but still a lot of genuinety remains. Situated on 2.140 meters above sea level, the climate is very pleasant. Days do not get really hot, and nights do not get very chilly.
The central square of Villa de Leyva measures some impressive 120 X 120 meters. It’s paved with cobblestones and lined with whitewashed colonial houses, and of course the parish church.
The rural colonial architecture, as shown on this photo from Villa de Leyva, largely consists of a simple outer surface. But once you enter a building, you walk into a lovely, square courtyard. Many of those buildings with courtyards have now been turned into either picturesque hotels, like the one I stayed at, restaurants or “shopping malls”.
Handicraft shopping, especially clothing, is a must in Villa de Leyva. And what a relief not to run in to one single street vendor!
Anders
