Uruguay’s resort town Punta del Este has many amazing tourist attractions in store, but none of them compares to Casapueblo. This abstract white building is the brainchild of Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró and it has to be seen to be believed.
When he first started constructing it in 1958, Casapueblo simply served as Vilaró’s summer house and workshop, but it grew in scale and vision as the years went by. The eccentric artist even claimed he built it without any plans and later used the words “livable sculpture” to describe it.
You don’t have to be a traveling expert to notice that Casapueblo looks pretty familiar. Its whitewashed cement and stucco walls draw clear inspiration from the buildings in Santorini, but it was also inspired by the shape of hornero nests since this happens to be the most Uruguay’s most common bird species.
Casapueblo is located in Punta Ballena, just 15 kilometers from Punta del Este, and there are now a museum, an art gallery, a café, and a lavish hotel on its premises. If you’re here to check out its museum, keep in mind its working hours are limited, and you can only visit it between 12:30–8:30 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
