Periodista britanica adora Arequipa, Peru.

Arequipa, Peru: My kind of town
Lucy Beresford
Last Updated: 11:12AM BST 02/06/2008 Comments 3 Have Your Say
Writer and broadcaster Lucy Beresford loves the Peruvian city of Arequipa for its high-altitude setting, colonial architecture and mouthwatering markets.


Why Arequipa?
It's not just the altitude – Arequipa is almost 8,000ft high – that gets me buzzing. It's where I "grew up", in the sense that I spent my student gap year here in the Eighties. Now I return regularly. Arequipa glows with colonial buildings of sillar, a pale, volcanic rock, and is surrounded by canyons, caves, and volcanoes, which are fantastic for hiking, rafting and hot springs.

What do you miss most when you're away?
The quality of light; the three dramatic volcanoes dominating the city – including El Misti, which is still active – and alfajores – scrumptious shortbread-style biscuits.

What's the first thing you do when you return?
I have to have a toasted chicken mayonnaise sandwich at my student haunt, Manolos (Mercaderes 107-113) to nourish my inner adolescent. Then I walk one block south to the Plaza de Armas to gaze at the cathedral and admire the women in brightly coloured national dress selling their woven goods, or gossiping in the sun.

Where's the best place to stay?
La Posada del Puente (Esq. Puente Grau/Av. Bolognesi 101; 0051 54 253132; www.posadadelpuente.com; doubles from £46). A five-minute stroll across the bridge from the old town, this boutique hotel is charming and peaceful. Enjoy your breakfast papaya surrounded by llamas cropping the grass.

Where would you meet friends for a drink?
Peru's national drink is pisco (a type of brandy), and the best places to try pisco sours are the bars in and around pretty Plaza de San Francisco, such as Las Quenas (Santa Catalina 302; 281115), which also offers live Andean music (peña). More centrally, the terrace at the Sonesta Posada del Inca hotel is pricier, but it does offer superb views of the cathedral and Plaza de Armas (both illuminated at night).

Where are your favourite places for lunch?
If not Manolos, then I would go to one of the cute cafés in the lane behind the cathedral. They vary in quality (and change names regularly), but the setting is peaceful.

And for dinner?
An outside table at Tradición Arequipeña (Av. Dolores 111; 426467; reservations recommended) in the Paucarpata area. Eat Peruvian delicacies such as cuy (guinea pig), ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice), or adobo (a rich pork stew). Or join well-heeled locals lapping up the Italian/Arequipeñan food of La Trattoria del Monasterio (Santa Catalina 309; 204062). Its rocotos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are divine.

Where would you send a first-time visitor?
A morning at San Camilo market where, among other mouth-watering food, you'll see some of the 2,500 varieties of potato native to Peru. An afternoon at Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina 301). Actually a working convent, this "city within a city" is rich in atmosphere. Then sundowners at Mirador de Yanahuara, a historic square with a sillar wall of engraved arches through which you can look over the entire city.

What would you tell them to avoid?
Sacrilegious, I know, but the cathedral's disappointingly bare interior is missable.

Public transport or taxi?
The old city, based on a grid, is ideal for walking. However, taxis are cheap: only 50p from the centre of town to the slick shopping malls in the suburb of Cayma.

Handbag or moneybelt?
Since it's vital to keep an eye on your belongings, moneybelts can make you feel more confident. Beware of scams involving people asking you for directions.

What should I take home?
Resist a set of Pan pipes. Instead, revel in Arequipa's wide range of leather, silver, and woollen goods, such as alpaca fingerless gloves, tapestries or high-quality reproductions of 17th-century Cuzco School paintings.

And if I've only time for one shop?
Patio del Ekeko (Mercaderes 141) because of its central location, and wide range of stylish yet inexpensive Peruvian handicrafts.