In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue – a maritime feat that opened a new chapter in the story of civilisation and in the modern history of the Dominican Republic. A statue of the great pioneer stands in a quiet plaza in the country’s capital, Santo Domingo. Behind his figure stands the cathedral that he founded, the oldest in the Americas. In front is a Hard Rock Café, one of the Americas’ most recent.
At various turns in the past 500 years, the little square has seen French, Spanish, Haitian and Dominican ownership, revolution and insurrection, plots hatched and schemes foiled. And while cruise ship tourists now do most of the invading, the republic cannot quite shed a reputation for high drama.
