Piria's Castle
- Get to know it in 1 hour 30 minutes
The castle was the private residence of Francisco Piria in Piriapolis, located in the heart of the agroindustrial Piriapolis. It is the work of Mr. Aquiles Monzani (Italian) and was completed in 1897.
If we are positioned on the main floor and look out through its windows we can see the winery, ath the right the Pan de Azúcar hill and at the left the Pueblo Obrero and La Central (today called Quebrada del Castillo). The terracotta statues that populated the park were signed by Tomaso Airaghi (Milan). The furniture of the castle is the one bought by its last owner, as the castle suffered predation after the death of Piria. It not only implied the disappearance of the original furniture but also much of the woods of the floor.
Nowadays it would be considered to be quite far away from the coast (5 miles) but of course that was not the case during the time of Piria, since tourism first started on December 15, 1902 with the opening of the first hotel.
In addition to its role as a private residence it also hosted international gatherings of poetry, a Boité by Carlos Paez Vilaró and it as also a presidential residence for a very short time which ended with an embarrassing event. A celebration was held with the assitants practising target shooting with the statues at the garden. The castle was privately held until 1980 when it was aquired by the Quartermaster of Maldonado.
Nowadays it can be visited from tuesdays to sundays from 10 to 15:30 hours. Due to its restoration only its first floor can be visited.
They are now a true test of the fashion of the time to decorate places with a variety of statues, beyond any meaning or special message that can be awarded.
Currently the rooms of this floor are open to the public where a timeline made by the Heritage Commission of Uruguay can be found. In it, the major historical events related to Francisco Piria and Piriapolis are highlighted.
There are also billboards of important moments in the history of Piriapolis.
If we are positioned on the main floor and look out through its windows we can see the winery, ath the right the Pan de Azúcar hill and at the left the Pueblo Obrero and La Central (today called Quebrada del Castillo). The terracotta statues that populated the park were signed by Tomaso Airaghi (Milan). The furniture of the castle is the one bought by its last owner, as the castle suffered predation after the death of Piria. It not only implied the disappearance of the original furniture but also much of the woods of the floor.
Nowadays it would be considered to be quite far away from the coast (5 miles) but of course that was not the case during the time of Piria, since tourism first started on December 15, 1902 with the opening of the first hotel.
In addition to its role as a private residence it also hosted international gatherings of poetry, a Boité by Carlos Paez Vilaró and it as also a presidential residence for a very short time which ended with an embarrassing event. A celebration was held with the assitants practising target shooting with the statues at the garden. The castle was privately held until 1980 when it was aquired by the Quartermaster of Maldonado.
Nowadays it can be visited from tuesdays to sundays from 10 to 15:30 hours. Due to its restoration only its first floor can be visited.
Park
The access road to the castle is lined with palm trees from the Canaries island. Arriving at the castle it can be seen specimens of Dracaena Draco and Cycas Revolutas native of southern Japan.Terracotta statues
At the entrance to the castle it can be seen two statues by sculptor Tomaso Airaghi, made of terracotta. They were originally located in the stables, being relocated in the restoration of the castle.They are now a true test of the fashion of the time to decorate places with a variety of statues, beyond any meaning or special message that can be awarded.
Ground floor
There used to be the resident rooms and guests on the ground floor and the kitchen to the back of the castle.Currently the rooms of this floor are open to the public where a timeline made by the Heritage Commission of Uruguay can be found. In it, the major historical events related to Francisco Piria and Piriapolis are highlighted.
There are also billboards of important moments in the history of Piriapolis.
