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Altos de Chavon Review

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Altos de Chavón

Category: Towns, Stores/Malls
Location: La Romana

Fodor's Review:

Altos de Chavón, a re-creation of a 16th-century Mediterranean village, sits on a bluff overlooking the Río Chavón, about 3 mi (5 km) east of the main facilities of Casa de Campo. There are cobblestone streets lined with lanterns, wrought-iron balconies, wooden shutters, courtyards swathed with bougainvillea, and Iglesia St. Stanislaus, the romantic setting for many a Casa de Campo wedding. More than a museum piece, this village is a place where artists live, work, and play. Dominican and international painters, sculptors, and artisans come here to teach sculpture, pottery, silk-screen printing, weaving, dance, and music at the school, which is affiliated with New York's Parsons School of Design. They work in their studios and crafts shops selling their finished wares. The village also has an archaeological museum and five restaurants.

A 5,000-seat amphitheater (809/523-2424 for Kandela tickets. www.kandela.com.do) features Kandela, a spectacular musical extravaganza showcasing the island's sensuous Afro-Caribbean dance moves, music, and culture. Concerts and celebrity performances by such singers as Julio Iglesias, his son Enrique, Sting, and the Pet Shop Boys share the amphitheater's schedule of events.

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