Trinidad, a Cuban Colonial Jewel
Trinidad is one of a kind, a perfectly preserved Spanish colonial settlement where the clocks stopped in 1850 and – apart from a zombie invasion of tourists – have yet to restart. Huge sugar fortunes amassed in the nearby Valle de los Ingenios during the early 19th century created the illustrious colonial style mansions bedecked with Italian frescoes, Wedgwood china and French chandeliers. Declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1988, Cuba's oldest and most enchanting 'outdoor museum' attracts busloads of visitors. Yet the cobblestone streets, replete with leather-faced guajiros (country folk), snorting donkeys and melodic troubadours, retain a quiet air. Come nightfall, the live-music scene is particularly good. Trinidad is also ringed by sparkling natural attractions. Twelve kilometers south lies platinum-blond Playa Ancón, the best beach of Cuba’s south coast. Looming 18km to the north, the purple-hued shadows of the Sierra del Escambray (Escambray Mountains) offer a lush adventure playground with hiking trails and waterfalls.
These are some of the main highlights
Plaza Mayor
Trinidad's remarkably peaceful main square is located in the heart of the casco histórico and is the town's most photographed spot.
Iglesia Parroquial de la Santísima Trinidad.
Despite its unremarkable facade, this church on the northeastern side of Plaza Mayor graces countless Trinidad postcards. Rebuilt in 1892 on the site of a church destroyed in a storm, it mixes 20th-century touch-ups with artifacts dating to the 18th century, such as the venerated Christ of the True Cross (1713), second altar from the front to the left .
Plaza Santa Ana
Located on the eponymous square, which delineates Trinidad's northeastern reaches, is a former Spanish prison (1844) that has been converted into the Plaza Santa Ana tourist center. The complex includes an art gallery, handicraft market, ceramics shop, bar and restaurant.
Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos
The most recognizable building in Trinidad, the dilapidated pastel-yellow bell tower occupies the former convent of San Francisco de Asís. Since 1986, it's a museum with photos, maps, weapons and objects relating to the struggle against the various counterrevolutionary bands that took a leaf out of Fidel's book and operated illicitly out of the Sierra del Escambray between 1960–65. The fuselage of a US U-2 spy plane shot down over Cuba is also on display. You can climb the bell tower for good views.
Museo Romántico
Across Calle Simón Bolívar is the glittering Palacio Brunet. The ground floor was built in 1740, and the upstairs was added in 1808. In 1974 the mansion was converted into a museum with 19th-century furnishings, a fine collection of china and various other period pieces. The shop adjacent has a good selection of photos and books in English.
* All the above highlighted places are relatively close one from the other, which makes it easy to visit them by taking a walk around.
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