“Discover Your Country With CTN” Event Held in 35 Different Venues in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone

The rally, sponsored by the Caribbean Traveling Network, allowed many families to participate in a unique historical route

Santo Domingo, December 2, 2019 – The Dominican Republic is a nation full of history, of incredible places to visit and beautiful people.  For this reason, executives from Caribbean Traveling Network (CTN) sponsored the fifth annual Tourist Rally 2019 titled “Discover Your Country with CTN.”  More than one hundred families walked the rally route through the streets of the historic zone.

This year’s rally began at Columbus Square and continued on to the recently refurbished monument to Friar Antón de Montesinos. It also made its way through the restored Santa Barbara Church and the Duarte Institute, some of the most iconic structures in Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone.

The event allows Dominican families to share in a fun activity that is also educational.  “Santo Domingo’s Colonial Zone was the first to be built in the Americas. Its historic and cultural importance is something all Dominicans should be proud of,” explained CTN president Miguel Calzada León.

Overall, the rally route included 35 different venues in the Colonial Zone.  Many are well-known museums and colonial structures, and others have yet to be discovered by the general population.

“The best way to become familiar with our history is to enjoy it,” is the Rally’s motto.  And the organizers remain true to their goal: the activity has been a fun way for Dominicans to enjoy the wonders the Colonial Zone offers visitors.

Tour guides were available along the route to provide all the necessary information requested by the participants.

The event began at Columbus Square, situated on the north side of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo. Some 135 Dominican families participated in the event, which also included music and other activities.

The following is the Rally Route put together by the event’s organizers:

1) Columbus Square

(2) School of Visual Arts

(3) French Embassy

(4) Hostal Nicolás de Ovando

(5) Pantheon of the Founding Fathers or Church of the Jesuits

(6) Banco de Reservas Cultural House

(7) Casa del Cordón

(8) Duarte Institute (Duarte Museum)

(9) Santa Barbara Church, where founding father Juan Pablo Duarte was baptized.

(10) San Antón Chapel

(11) Ruins of St. Francis Convent

(12) Esperanza Lodge #5

(13) San Miguel Church

(14) Alley “Come Out if You Can”

(15) Church of Las Mercedes

(16) Burger King

(17) Vertical Garden/El Conde Street

(18) Homes of Distinguished Dominicans Emiliano Tejera, José Gabriel García and Luisa Ozema Pellerano

19) Casa del Tapao

(20) First home of world-famous Dominican fashion designer Oscar de la Renta

(21) Vicini Residence, where Founding Father Francisco del Rosario Sánchez was born

(22) Art Decó: originally Youth Club during many years of the 20th century

(23) San José Fort: Part of the defensive wall that protected the Colonial Zone

(24) Fray Antón de Montesinos Monument

(25) Japanese Immigration Building

(26) Spanish Cultural Center

(27) Home of Felino Vicioso, well-known for his musical knowledge

(28) The Pink Park, also known as Pellerano Castro Park

(29) Visit to the first street built by Europeans in the Americas

(30) Ozama Fort, Santo Domingo

(31) The “Maracas” Tree

(32) First Stone Laid for the Construction of the First Cathedral of the Americas

(33) Alley of the Priests

(34) La Briciola Restaurant

(35) Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

Source: http://mitur.gob.do/descubre-tu-pais-con-ctn-se-celebro-por-35-lugares-de-la-ciudad-colonial/