3 Best Sights in Central Cuba, Cuba

The Neoclassical Biblioteca, on Plaza Serafín Sánchez's southwest corner, is the most conspicuous edifice. Built in 1929 by the city's wealthiest citizens as an exclusive club, it became a public library following the Revolution, and was meticulously restored in 1998. On the second floor in the former ballroom, students now read beneath painted columns and crystal chandeliers. Be sure to check out the view from the balcony.

On the eastern edge of Plaza de San Juan de Dios, the old hospital now holds the offices of several cultural organizations. In the portico of its large garden, you'll find a simple museum with exhibits on the building's history, some old photos, and surgical instruments from days of yore—thank goodness for modern medicine. It's worth a quick look if you have a curiosity for the history of medicine. More interesting is the view from the roof.

This site of an 18th-century farmhouse once belonged to one of the region's wealthiest families. It stands next to the Torre de Iznaga, a 43-meter (141-foot) tower built in the early 1800s. Legend has it that the two Iznaga sons were in love with a beautiful young woman, and their father told one to build a tower and the other to dig a well, with the promise that whoever built higher or dug deeper could have her. But when they were done, both the tower and well were 43 meters, so the old man married the woman himself. The tower actually had a much more practical purpose: it was a place from which to keep an eye on the thousands of slaves who worked the surrounding plantations. The large bell that was rung when slaves tried to escape lies on the ground near the farmhouse.