After the Spanish came to the east coast of South America in 1536, hungry for gold, they optimistically named the wide river that separates Argentina from Uruguay, the Rio de la Plata (river of silver).

For centuries, the country grew and blossomed, surviving civil war, yet Buenos Aires still stayed a gracious city - part Rome, part Paris, with a dash of Madrid. Walk these streets and wide promenades and you could be in Europe, not just fifteen hours away by air, across the Pacific from Sydney.

It is a city of contrasts, though. One that has known the good times and the bad. At first there was wealth and prestige remaining in the still-grand Alvear Palace Hotel (above and below) and then in the past decade or so, crushing poverty as the peso became almost worthless overnight.

Walk the streets near the Alvear Palace Hotel, one of the better neighbourhoods, and marvel at the gracious facades of the buildings.

Buenos Aires - its name means good breezes or fine appearance - is a city of extremes, carefully planned and designed four hundred-plus years ago by the sixty Patrician families that settled here, seeking to raise an antipodean Rome rich with freedom and a future. Today, many of the descendents of these founders account for the 70 percent Italian blood in the country.

In the beginning those wealthy, cultured Romans were the cream of the fledgling community. Their gracious homes have now become apartments or prestigious homes for soapie stars and footballers. For these are the new ruling classes. Soccer is the national religion. Ninety percent of Argentinians are nominally Roman Catholic, but more go to the game than to mass. More cheer for their team than chant Hail Marys, it seems.

One citizen of Argentina is former actress and wife of Juan Peron. Evita Peron wooed and won and worked for this city, and is buried now in the cemetery that stands to the east of it, like a silent village. Here huge mausoleums, some resembling mini cathedrals, keep the bones of the dead in coffins inside them. Tourists walk the streets, marvelling at the strange tales of those kept here, and snapping pictures of the statues.

However, Evita - dead at 33 of cancer - is actually buried, and she lies under the footpath outside the black marble tomb of her family, beneath 500 kilograms of concrete. In a crystal coffin, the tour guides say.

Argentineans love their beef. Although vegetarians can drop into any cafe and be kept happy with a meatless empanada - a small pastry turnover filled with corn or cheese or vegetables - the real action comes at the parrilladas, aka barbecued meat restaurants.

For these, whole shopfronts are taken up with a roasting carcase of beef or Patagonian lamb, perhaps the best in the world, and passers-by stand drooling as they watch the chef carefully take off long perfectly cooked slices for the diners.

Go window shopping, and make sure you see the shoes at some of the many boutique shoe shops. Leather is the inevitable by-product of a country known for its beef. Shoes, jackets, handbags, belts - they're all here, and the price (despite the fine workmanship) is still reasonable, despite Argentina'sgradual recovery.

A common sight in the city are the professional dog walkers - often handling half a dozen or more large dogs.

At the waterfront, a small area, the vibrant La Boca (the mouth), pulsates with life. Think, Montmartre on acid. There is an electric charge in the air, and you could almost slice those bold colours that don't just brighten the amazing cartoon-like statues that hang from first floor windows or lounge on street corners, but spread over walls, balconies, roofs and windows. These few streets really rock, and a whole laneway is filled with irresistible art works and sculpture.

This was the first port of the city and the place where immigrants - mainly Genovese- arrived between 1880 and 1930. Some of the highlights found while walking through this area include Calle Museo Caminito (Caminito street), the Teatro de la Rivera (with different color-painted seats following artist Quinquela Martíns suggestions), the Museo de Bellas Artes de la Boca (La Bocas Museum of Art) and Vuelta de Rocha, overlooking Bridge Nicolás Avellaneda and offering a magnificent view. During the weekends, thousands of tourists stroll this neighborhood which stages street shows, craft exhibitions, and many other attractions worth experiencing.

This Spanish-speaking country embodies the essence of old Spain. Lovers kiss in the parks, new acquaintances clasp your hands and ooze Latin charm. For it is, after all, the people that make any country – or city– memorable.