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The city of Piura is such a merry
city that its inhabitants talk in singsong tones. It was here
that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first
Spanish city in Peru, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532. The city's
colonial churches house valuable collections of colonial art,
while the town of Catacaos is famous for its fine straw and
cotton arts and crafts, gold and silver filigree and delicious
dishes served up at local eateries called picanterías.
The coastal stretch of the department of Piura provides a
variety of circuits for visitors. Near Tumbes lies Máncora,
a beach resort with pure white sand and a tranquil sea. Further
south is Cabo Blanco, an ideal spot for surfing as it boasts
some of the best waves in the Pacific Ocean. Cabo Blanco was
famous amongst the US jetset in the 1950s for its world records
in deepsea fishing, which attracted regular visitors such
as novelist Ernest Hemingway. Colán is the beach resort
for the city of Piura, a resort where the homes stand on stilts
by the sea.
Higher up in the Piura highlands lies the town of Chulucanas,
which is famous for its superb pottery. The province of Huancabamba,
meanwhile, is home to Las Huaringas, a chain of lakes whose
waters are believed to have medicinal properties. The area
is the capital of folk healing and traditional medicine.
Any time of year is a good time to soak in the Piura sun and
taste the local fermented maize beer chicha de jora. Visitors
can gaze out over the Sechura desert, the largest in Peru,
and practice water sports on rivers and lakes. |
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