---
title: "Altos de Chavón – A Perspective On The Village"
url: https://www.casadecampo.com.do/blog/2020/04/06/a-perspective-on-altos-de-chavon/
date: 2020-04-06
modified: 2026-09-02
lang: en
author: "Gitti"
description: "Altos de Chavón is as romantic as it is unforgettable."
categories:
  - "Blog"
image: https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ALTOS-DE-CHAVON-32-de-36.jpg
word_count: 672
---

# Altos de Chavón – A Perspective On The Village

## Key Takeaways

- Altos de Chavón sits atop a cliff overlooking the Chavón River and is described as the most popular landmark attraction in La Romana.
- Roberto Coppa conceives the village’s 16th century Mediterranean look and closely supervises construction, while Charles Bluhdorn’s vision and support build it as a tribute to the art, culture, and education of the Dominican Republic.
- The Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation includes an art gallery, an artist-in-residence program, the Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archaeology, and the Chavón School of Design, whose La Romana campus teaches fine art and filmmaking.
- St. Stanislaus Church overlooks the Fountain of the Four Lions and a river-stone mosaic plaza, while the 5,000-seat amphitheater opens in 1982 with Sinatra and Santana and later hosts The Pet Shop Boys, Sting, Caetano Veloso, Charles Aznavour, and Julio Iglesias.

 

#### Altos de Chavón is as romantic as it is unforgettable

Arguably the most popular landmark attraction in La Romana, [Altos de Chavón](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/experiences/altos-de-chavon/)—the name means “Chavón Heights”—is perched atop a cliff overlooking the [Chavón River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav%C3%B3n_River).

The 16th century Mediterranean look of the village was conceived by Italian set designer Roberto Coppa, who closely supervised its construction, seeing to the placement of every stone. The style was Coppa’s, but it was American industrialist [Charles Bluhdorn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bluhdorn)’s vision and support that built this place as a living, lasting tribute to the art, culture, and education of the Dominican Republic.

![Overlooking the Chavón River at Casa de Campo](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Yvette-Bluhdorn_Rio-Chavon_c1976.jpg)

Legend has it that the project began in 1976, when the construction of a road near the Chavón River blasted into a stone mountain. At that time the American company [Gulf+Western](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf%2BWestern) Industries owned the Altos de Chavón property, and Bluhdorn, its chairman and CEO, had the idea to use the stones created by the blasting to build a village. He imagined creating an artists’ village along the lines of St. Paul de Vence, in the south of France. And so construction began, and was completed in the early 1980s.

![Altos de Chavón Amphitheater at Casa de Campo ](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CdC_History_Chavon_Amphitheatre_1.jpg)

Although G+W sold its Dominican holdings to a consortium in 1983, Charles Bluhdorn's daughter, Dominique, stayed on and is today the president of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation, a charitable organization comprising an art gallery, an artist-in-residence program, the Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archaeology, and the Chavón School of Design. The school’s La Romana campus, at Altos de Chavón, is where fine art and filmmaking are taught. (The school’s other campus, in the Miraflores section of the capital city of Santo Domingo, is the site for studies in fashion design, interior design, and communication design.) The School of Design has been an affiliate of New York City’s [Parsons School of Design](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsons_The_New_School_for_Design) since 1983.

![Chavón School of Design at Casa de Campo](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Altos-de-Chavon-School-of-Design-2-3.jpg)

To truly know Altos de Chavón, amble along the village’s narrow cobblestone pathways, looking at the stucco walls, the forged ironwork lanterns, the lush gardens and flowering vines that scale trellised walls and arch overhead. Discover Chavón’s small cafes and international restaurants, and visit the shops selling diverse crafts, from trinkets to fine jewelry, plus the work of local artisans. Don’t miss the art gallery, which exhibits the work of invited artists and students from the School of Design, or the Regional Museum of Archaeology’s collection of pre-Columbian artifacts, unearthed in the surrounding areas.

Chavón also boasts three crafts workshops, one for ceramic objects both utilitarian and decorative; a weaving studio, where native cotton is loomed into tablecloths, placemats, rugs, bags, and tapestries; and a silkscreen workshop, where T-shirts get emblazoned with designs and artists can have multiples of their work produced. All three workshops are open to the public.

An architectural standout of the village is the handsome St. Stanislaus Church, named after [the patron saint of Poland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaus_of_Szczepan%C3%B3w) in tribute to [Pope John Paul II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_John_Paul_II), who visited [Santo Domingo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo_Domingo) in 1979 and gifted a relic of the saint to the church. The church overlooks the Fountain of the Four Lions and a river-stone mosaic plaza that is a popular wedding venue. In this church, on November 6, 2004, Spanish Prince [Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Alphonse,_Duke_of_Anjou), married the Venezuelan heiress [María Margarita de Vargas y Santaella](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Margarita_de_Vargas_y_Santaella).

![St. Stanislaus Church Wedding Venue](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Chavon-Church-wedding.jpg)

Chavón’s eye-popping 5,000-seat amphitheater has had an illustrious roster of musical acts. Sinatra and Santana inaugurated the place in 1982, and since then The Pet Shop Boys, Sting, Caetano Veloso, Charles Aznavour, and Julio Iglesias, to name a few, have been featured there.

![Altos de Chavon Concert](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/altos-de-chavon-concert.jpg)

For night life, there’s Genesis, the Altos de Chavón discotheque, a popular spot for visitors, villa residents, and [Casa de Campo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_Campo,_Dominican_Republic) guests. Rounding out the late-night music scene are Onno’s and Good Vibes, open till the wee hours of the morning.

![](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Genesis-Club-Tunnel-Render.jpg)

Altos de Chavón is undeniably picturesque, with its panoramic vista of the Chavón River, the rolling greens of Casa de Campo’s Dye Fore golf course, and the mountains in the distance. In the cool blush of early morning’s awakening light and in the mellow warmth of dusk’s crimson glow, Altos de Chavón is as romantic as it is unforgettable.

![Altos de Chavon Aerial View](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/drone-cdc-altos-de-chavon-vert.jpg)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why is Altos de Chavón such a big deal in La Romana?**
A: Altos de Chavón stands out because it combines a cliffside setting, a 16th century Mediterranean look, and a strong cultural role in one place. It overlooks the Chavón River and was conceived as a living tribute to the art, culture, and education of the Dominican Republic. Casa de Campo, Casa De Campo, Casadecampo adds to that appeal by placing the village inside a larger resort landscape with golf and other experiences nearby.

**Q: What should I do first if I want the best experience at Altos de Chavón?**
A: Start with the narrow cobblestone pathways, because they give you the clearest sense of the village’s architecture and atmosphere. The stucco walls, forged ironwork lanterns, gardens, and flowering vines are part of what makes the place memorable. A practical move is to go when the light is softer, since the page specifically calls out early morning and dusk as especially scenic times.

**Q: Is Altos de Chavón worth visiting if I’m staying at Casa de Campo?**
A: Altos de Chavón fits well into a Casa de Campo stay because it is described as a popular spot for visitors, villa residents, and Casa de Campo guests. That makes it an easy cultural add-on to a resort trip rather than a separate destination. The village also gives you dining, shops, an art gallery, a museum, nightlife, and an amphitheater in one compact area.

**Q: What do most people miss when visiting Altos de Chavón?**
A: A lot of people focus on the views and skip the working parts of the village. The page points to three public crafts workshops: ceramic objects, weaving with native cotton, and silkscreen printing. That matters because Altos de Chavón is not just scenic architecture. It also shows how local artisans and students keep the place active instead of turning it into a static photo stop.

**Q: What can you actually do at Altos de Chavón besides sightseeing?**
A: Altos de Chavón offers more than views. You can visit small cafes and international restaurants, browse shops selling crafts and fine jewelry, see invited artists and School of Design work in the art gallery, explore pre-Columbian artifacts at the Regional Museum of Archaeology, or catch live music at the 5,000-seat amphitheater. For more context on the village itself, see [Altos de Chavón](https://www.casadecampo.com.do/experiences/altos-de-chavon/).