The Casa Rosada is the principal government building
of la Republica Argentina, in the Capital Federal.
It is located at one end of a wide boulevard (which I've forgotten the
name of), about a mile from the meeting place of the National Congress
at the other end. Out in front is a large plaza, which is usually
filled with tourists, pigeons, and vendors
selling bird seed.
The pink color is symbolic of the compromises made in the early 1800's
between the Federales and the Unitarios, who were in disagreement
as to the ideal form of government for the republic, and who were
represented by the colors red and white, respectively.
Which is odd,
since the national
flag is blue.
It is known to many people because of the musical Evita, based on the
life of Eva Peron. While it is well known that it is pink (hence
Rosada), there seems to be a silent conspiracy among those who
have seen it -- but I'm not playing along -- to conceal the
fact that it is pink only on the front side!.
I was nearly felled by surprise when, after walking from Congress,
sitting in the plaza for a while, and continuing around the Casa,
I saw that the other three sides are white!
Of course, it's not illegal to spread knowledge of this oddity, but it
strikes me as rather improbable that no description I've ever seen of the
Casa Rosada mentions it; hence, my conclusion that
they'd rather you didn't know.
It's white in the back!
This reminds me of a line in Robert Heinlein's novel
Stranger in a Strange Land,
when the exactitude of a Fair Witness is being demonstrated.
Jubal Harshaw asks the Witness to tell him the color of a building
that he points out, and she replies "White. It's white on this side."