Cuba - Lonely Planet [127]
To reach San Francisco de Paula, take metro bus P-7 (Cotorro) from the Capitolio in Centro Habana. Tell the driver you’re going to the museum. You get off in San Miguel del Padrón.
Return to beginning of chapter
SANTA MARÍA DEL ROSARIO
Santa María del Rosario, 19km southeast of central Havana, is an old colonial town founded in 1732. Unlike most other towns from that period, it has not become engulfed in modern suburbs, but stands alone in the countryside. The charms of this area were recognized by one of Cuba’s greatest living painters, Manuel Mendive, who selected it for his personal residence. You can also see the countryside of this area in Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s metaphorical critique of slavery in his movie La Última Cena.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Rosario ( 5:30-7:30pm), also called the Catedral de los Campos de Cuba, on Santa María del Rosario’s old town square, was built in 1720 by the Conde de Casa Bayona near the Quiebra Hacha sugar mill, of which nothing remains today. Inside are a gilded mahogany altar and a painting by Veronese. It is one of suburban Havana’s most attractive secrets.
From the Capitolio in Centro Habana take the metro bus P-7 to Cotorro and then bus 97, which runs from Guanabacoa to town.
Return to beginning of chapter
PARQUE HISTÓRICO MILITAR MORRO-CABAÑA
The sweeping views of Havana from the other side of the bay are spectacular, and a trip to the two old forts of the Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña is a must. Despite their location on the opposite side of the harbor, both forts are included in the Habana Vieja Unesco World Heritage Site. Sunset is a good time to visit when you can stay over for the emblematic cañonazo ceremony (see boxed text,).
CASTILLO DE LOS TRES SANTOS REYES MAGNOS DEL MORRO
The imposing Castillo de los Tres Santos Reyes Magnos del Morro (El Morro; per person incl museum entrance CUC$4) was erected between 1589 and 1630 to protect the entrance to Havana harbor from pirates and foreign invaders (French corsair Jacques de Sores had sacked the city in 1555). Perched high on a rocky bluff above the ebbing Atlantic, the fort’s irregular polygonal shape, 3m-thick walls and deep protective moat offer a classic example of Renaissance military architecture. For more than a century the fort withstood numerous attacks by French, Dutch and English privateers, but in 1762, after a 44-day siege, a 14,000-strong British force captured El Morro by attacking from the landward side. The Castillo’s famous lighthouse was added in 1844.
Aside from the fantastic views over the sea and the city, El Morro also hosts a maritime museum. To climb to the top of the lighthouse is an additional CUC$2.
FORTALEZA DE SAN CARLOS DE LA CABAñA
An 18th-century colossus, the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña ( 862-0617; admission day CUC$5, night CUC$8, guide CUC$1; 8am-11pm) was built between 1763 and 1774 on a long, exposed ridge on the east side of Havana harbor to fill a weakness in the city’s defenses. In 1762 the British had taken Havana by gaining control of this strategically important ridge and it was from here that they shelled the city mercilessly into submission. In order to prevent a repeat performance, the Spanish King Carlos III ordered the construction of a massive fort that would repel future invaders. Measuring 700m from end to end and covering a whopping 10 hectares, it is the largest Spanish colonial fortress in the Americas.
The impregnability of the fort meant that no invader ever attacked it, though during the 19th century Cuban patriots faced firing squads here. Dictators Machado and Batista used the fortress as a military prison, and immediately after