Colombia’s second most important city, Medellín, rises in the center of a valley and covers part of the mountains that surround it. The landscape evokes the drive of the colonists who toiled their way through a rugged topography and whose descendants founded this large industrial, ever-thriving city of hard-working, persevering people.

Santa Fe de Antioquia: The town was the capital of the department of Antioquia until the middle of the nineteenth century. Spanish architecture and cobbled streets preserve the history of the town’s colonial past alive. Among the buildings, the churches stand out. Two museums also guard the history of Santa Fe, especially its religious history.

The wooden hanging bridge on the road that leads to Sopetrán is quite an attraction, as well as one of the best engineering works of the late nineteenth century. The Colombian Congress proclaimed the bridge and the town proper as a national monument in 1978.

The lodging infrastructure is excellent. The jewelry shops, with their artisan gold and silver filigree work, are well worth a visit and may be the place to buy the perfect gift.