Charming Santiago

dr1 reports:
Santiago de los Caballeros, the first city in the New World to be named Santiago, is gaining fame as an attractive place to visit. Listin Diario calls the city "gentlemanly" and "old world". Some of its citizens, such as movie critic Jose D'Laura, never set foot outside the city unless it is a case of "life or death." The fervent fans of the Aguilas Cibaenas baseball team and its imposing Monument to the Restoration are just two of the characteristics of the 500-year old city.

As well as the Monument, there is the Cathedral, the Governor's Palace, the Duarte Park, the San Luis Fort Museum, the Model Market, the Victorian architecture of so many of its houses, and the friendly barrios such as Los Pepines or La Joya.

There is a long list of cultural attractions as well, headed by the Centro Leon, the Casa de Arte, the Alianza Cibaena, the Ateneo Amantes de la Luz (the DR's first public library), the Centro de la Cultura with its award-winning folkloric dance troupe, the Tomas Morel Folklore Museum, the artists' refuge, La 37 Por Las Tablas, and the Grand Cibao Theater.

Santiago is located in the center of the Cibao Valley, 150 kilometers from Santo Domingo. The towns of Tamboril, San Jose de las Matas, Villa Gonzalez, Navarrete (Villa Bisono) and Licey al Medio are part of the province and lend their charm to the city.