The Bite Magazine - Spring 2019 - Issue 24

bite travel Photography by Ian Gillett the K ings PERU Bar carriage on the Titicaca Express The Hummingbird image at Nazca Lines decorated with colonial furniture, mirrors and paintings. The beautifully laid-out long dining table depicts the huge family gather- ings at dinner which must have been elegant. While part of the house is kept private for the family members who live there, the most historical part with extraordinary artwork and ornaments is open to the public. The sword Jerónimo used during the conquest is encased in glass and a framed document signed by Diego de Aliaga cemented Peru’s independence from Spain in the 19th centu- ry. The rooms where these treasures are kept have retained its beautiful, original tiles that cover the floor and part of the wall. There is also a grand glass chandelier. One of the salons has ornate wallpaper, gold elaborate frames on the large mirrors, and portraits of the de Aliagas decorating the wall. Further into the house, the ficus (fig) patio, an open courtyard, has a tree that stretches up through the rooms and out of the open ceiling which is amazing to see. The chapel, which is beautiful, retains the orig- inal ceiling and has a dome that was built in 1540. Having withstood fires and earth- quakes, it is perhaps the oldest ceiling in Peru and the whole of South America. The Nazca lines are extraordinary and if these ancient mysteries baffle you at all then you’re not alone, as archaeologists, histori- ans and explorers are still trying to decode their significance. Covering an area of over 1,000km² deep in the Peruvian desert plains, there are more than 300 exquisitely accu- rate and immaculately preserved giant geo- glyphs which can only be seen visibly from the air. These include the iconic humming- bird, monkey, spider and the eerily accurate ‘spaceman’ etched on a mountainside. Peru’s second largest city, Arequipa is fierce- ly surrounded by three volcanos: El Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu. Known as Ciu- dad Blanca (White City) because of its build- ings carved in sillar (white volcanic rock), you will find extraordinary architecture and surreal landscapes. A visit to the Convento de Santa Catalina (Covent of St. Catherine) founded in 1579 and once the home of a small group of clergy will shower you with one of the largest collections of colonial art in the Americas. If you’re looking for a fabulous view of Aya- cucho, Mirador de Carmen (a natural look- out point) is the ideal spot to do this. You can get a spectacular view of the Chili Riv-