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Location

In the center-north of the Ecuadorian Andes, at 2,800 meters above sea level and a few minutes from Latitude Zero, stands Quito, the historic and centuries’ old capital of Ecuador and the first city in the world to be declared by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1978.

The city extends along a narrow, winding and extensive Andean valley, flanked by imposing mountains. Located among unparalleled beauty, Quito resembles a multihued painting spread over the hills and slopes that form the giant volcanic massif of Pichincha, the capital’s sentinel. On a clear day, from different points around the city, the colossal neighboring volcanoes of Cayambe, Antisana and Pichincha can be spotted. Providing the perfect postcard view at the south-eastern corner of the frame is the spectacularly awesome Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the world, towering nearly 6,000 meters above sea level, and topped by a perfect cone covered by perpetual snows and glaciers.

As if mistakenly stuck in the middle of the city is El Panecillo Hill, an almost symmetrically dome-shaped hill, crowned with a gigantic statue of the Virgin Mary, better known as the Virgin of Quito or the Winged Virgin, watching over the city. To the west of the colonial center is the Itchimbía Hill, now famed for the dazzling Crystal Palace, an old and restored building, a venue for major events, concerts and galas.