Altos de Chavón is a small “old” town built on a promontory and with the Chavón River at its feet. Although the official version denies it, they say that this town is the result of a love story located in the east of the Dominican Republic, in La Romana.
These stone streets, their houses and the beautiful church with a Mediterranean and even medieval aspect, have only been standing since 1976. In that year an American businessman Charles Bludhorn thought of using the tons of stone obtained from the construction of a road, to build a dream town to a lady. Or so they say, and we prefer to think that it was so.
The truth is that its “European and ancient” appearance enchants and attracts American visitors who come to Altos de Chavón wanting to live a history of more than 400 years, when in reality it is much shorter. But all that doesn’t matter. Its atmosphere is so romantic that you forget the age of those streets. The corners, squares and viewpoints seem to be there for you to experience a special day with your partner, like a fairy tale.
Weddings are celebrated in the small church, and many celebrities have chosen it for that big day. And several films have been shot in Alto de Chavón and in the no less well-known Puerto Plata. For example, some sequences from the movies Rambo 2 and Apocalypse Now.
Today it is home to a Cultural Center, the National Archaeological Museum, and the so-called City of Artists. It also has an amphitheater that often hosts musical performances, so the evening can end with a concert in the “medieval” square, with the jungle at your feet and the Caribbean a stone’s throw away. And then, a very short distance away, the hotel area of La Romana where you can relax in a more contemporary setting.
Altos de Chavón keeps a lot of history and the most important and renowned international artists have gathered at the Chavón Amphitheater located within the complex, this majestic place transports you to romantic times and teaches you so much history that you will not regret living this experience.
Its construction began in 1976 when it was necessary to blow up a mountain of stone to open a road. Charles Bludhorn, president of an American company, had the idea of using the stones to build a 16th-century Mediterranean village. Popular rumor says that he did it to give it to his daughter on her birthday, but she, who often lives in Altos de Chavón, denies this version.
The construction was entrusted to the Italian Roberto Coppa who reflected a medieval Italian city. The Chavón River, over which the city has a magnificent panoramic view, was the setting chosen for the recording of some famous films. Currently the village receives thousands of daily visits from tourists displaced from Punta Cana.
From its beginnings Altos de Chavón was open to the public, allowing Dominicans and foreigners to enjoy its streets, its views and restaurants, it was always a place par excellence to show our friends and visitors who came to know the country.
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