Plaza Italia (Italy Square), Buenos Aires

Plaza Italia is a square near the entrance of the city's Botanical Gardens and the Buenos Aires Zoo. Though the size of the square is small, it holds an important place in the history of Buenos Aires.

The square is a center of pedestrian and vehicular transportation. This is largely due to a metro station that is under the square, which is also called Plaza Italia. This is where the first electric tram in the city departed. Visitors can view a mosaic that marks the point where this historically significant event took place.

In the center of the square stands a statue of Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi. It was gifted to the city by a local Italian community. This is how the name of the square was changed from Plaza de los Portones to Plaza Italia.

Plaza Italia is a good stopping point on a visitor's way into the Botanical Gardens. They can rest on one of the park benches, enjoy the green grass or find a shady spot under one of the trees to take a break from the Argentine sun.