Tucson, America in silhouette, a cultural journey between Mexico and Native American territory
First, you have to look up. The immense Arizona sky oscillates from raw blue to dusty pink. The city of Tucson lies in the hollow of the Catalina Mountains, surrounded by majestic Saguaro cacti. With Mexican soil beneath its feet and Native American spirit in the hot air, this frontier town cultivates a mix of genres that is as unexpected as it is captivating.
To the north, the DeGrazia Gallery of the Sun is a must-see. Designed by Ettore DeGrazia, who trained with Diego Rivera, it exhibits more than 14,000 works dedicated to indigenous legends and the landscapes of the Sonoran Desert. Nearby, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe recalls the Mexican roots of this region, which only changed its flag in 1854.
Further south, the MOCA, Tucson's only international contemporary art museum, is housed in a former fire station. It combines exhibitions, residencies and educational activities to promote an avant-garde that is as aesthetic as it is ethical.
Where to stay: The Tuxon, a boutique design hotel in the heart of the city.
Where to eat: The Coronet Café, for its local and inspired cuisine, rooted in Arizona's terroir.
White Stallion Ranch, the West in panoramic view
It's like a film set. At the gateway to Saguaro National Park, White Stallion Ranch stretches across 3,000 acres of desert dotted with giant cacti. Just a few hours from Mexico, this family-run ranch cultivates the art of escapism, combining pioneer tradition with refined comfort.
Here, you quickly lose track of time. In the early morning, you can learn how to use a lasso before setting off on horseback to explore the trails. Beginners and experienced riders alike can criss-cross the rocky ridges and silent valleys. A hike in Saguaro reminds you how much the desert commands humility and respect.
At nightfall, the ranch takes on a different character: guided stargazing, intimate concerts and rodeo demonstrations. The charm lies in the details, between rustic comfort and understated elegance. And between two panoramas, you find yourself contemplating the layers of ancient rock and wondering if, in the face of such beauty, you haven't grown up a little.
Where to stay: On site, booking rooms that are as local as they are comfortable (www.whitestallion.com )
Where to eat: At La Chaiteria, for their vegetarian tacos with unforgettable flavours. (www.lachaiteria.com)
Arcosanti, utopia in the middle of the desert
Founded in 1970 in the arid Arizona desert, Arcosanti is a total work of art: both an architectural manifesto and an inhabited sculpture. Designed by Paolo Soleri, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, this laboratory city offers an alternative to the technological dreams of the 20th century. Here, there are no flying cars, but a concept: ‘arcology’, a fusion of architecture and ecology, designed to reconcile habitat, nature and society.
Compact, with no roads or waste, Arcosanti rises on the side of a canyon, oriented by the sun and intuition. Supported by the Cosanti Foundation, it remains one of the few places where modern utopia has taken shape.
Where to stay: On site
Where to eat: At the community canteen, which is often organic and always inventive.
Sedona, where the earth breathes differently
To reach Sedona, take the Red Rock Scenic Byway, a ribbon of asphalt winding between red sandstone cathedrals. Each turn reveals a new tableau: flamboyant rocks, green forests, and the dense, almost mystical silence that envelops the city.
People come here for the scenery, but they stay for the energy. The vortexes—those points where the earth swirls, it is said—attract yogis, artists, and soul seekers. Even the culinary scene finds its balance here, between organic produce and spiritual inspiration.
Perched on the rock, Holly Cross Chapel has stood guard since 1956. Designed by Marguerite Brunswig Staude, it combines modernity and elevation, between heaven and earth. Sedona brings together Buddhist stupas, Native American heritage and inner quests, in a city where even the landscapes seem to meditate.
Where to stay: Ambiente, a magnificent eco-friendly hotel nestled in the red rocks (www.ambientesedona.com)
Where to eat: Le René, French cuisine revisited by chef Mercer Mohr (www.renerestaurantsedona.com)
Road trip Arizona on Route 66, in search of Edward Hopper
Can you travel through the American West without answering the call of Route 66? Officially decommissioned in 1985, the ‘Mother Road’ is enjoying a second life, punctuated by ‘Historic Route 66’ signs and vintage addresses carefully maintained by the guardians of the myth.
In Flagstaff, the Museum of Northern Arizona is a must-see stop. Located in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, it is one of the world's great regional museums. Here you can explore Native American cultures, tribal traditions, natural sciences, ecology and visual arts: a captivating kaleidoscope of the heritage of the Southwest.
Continuing on to Williams, you enter a film set: shiny American cars, bikers on Harleys, diners with faded neon signs. The past is on display here. And in this slightly faded light, you think of Edward Hopper. Of his silent scenes, bathed in an almost melancholic clarity. In Williams, all it would take is a backlight to bring one of his characters into the frame.
Where to stay: High Country Motor Lodge, a traditional motel that has been completely renovated (www.highcountrymotorlodge.com)
Where to eat: Josephine, a refined American bistro famous for its macaroni and cheese www.josephinerestaurant.com)
Kingman, memory of Route 66
In Kingman, the Arizona Route 66 Museum is housed in the city's former power station, converted into a temple to the road myth. Vibrant murals, dioramas and archives retrace the epic journey of those who followed the 35th parallel – Native American tribes, pioneers, Dust Bowl exiles and carefree tourists of the 1950s.
The building itself is part of the story. Built in 1909 to power the local mines, it later supplied electricity to the Hoover Dam. Today, it shines a light on the legend of a road that, far from fading away, continues to reinvent itself.
Where to stay: Hualapai Mountain Resort, a chic and welcoming mountain retreat (hmresort.com)
Where to eat: Drive-In Delgadillo, a local institution built from recycled materials, just like the road itself. Route 66-Seligman.
Roden Crater, the volcano that became the sky of Arizona
East of the Painted Desert, the silence becomes cosmic. There, on an ancient volcano that has been dormant for 400,000 years, James Turrell has been working for forty years on his life's work: Roden Crater. A celestial observatory carved into the rock, designed to channel daylight, guide the gaze towards the stars, and bring the sky down to earth.
The Sun, the Moon and the planets become raw materials. Sculpted into tunnels and underground chambers, they compose a total work of art, where light becomes pure emotion. ‘My desire is to create a situation in which I take you and let you see. It becomes your experience,’ Turrell sums up.
Although the site remains closed to the public, its surroundings can be glimpsed, almost meditated upon, in the mineral silence. Roden Crater is a work for the centuries and for infinity.
The Turrell Art Foundation, Flagstaff, Arizona (https://rodencrater.com)
Phoenix, architectural mirage
Often overshadowed by neighbouring icons such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Phoenix nevertheless conceals some real gems. Its urban silhouette, nourished by modernism, Native American traditions and desert influences, composes a unique architectural landscape.
In the heart of the McDowell Mountains, Frank Lloyd Wright built Taliesin West, a manifesto of organic architecture in total symbiosis with the desert. Local materials, controlled light, channelled winds, curves carved into the rock: every detail tells a story of dialogue between man and landscape. Fascinated by the region's petroglyphs, Wright scattered a few around the property. Ancient witnesses to a future yet to be written.
Now the headquarters of the Wright Foundation, Taliesin West remains a living place, at the crossroads of art, history and architecture.
Where to stay: FOUND:RE, a gallery hotel where art is incorporated into the design, cuisine and even the playlists (foundrehotels.com)
Where to eat: The Mission, where chef Matt Carter reinvents Latin cuisine, which was honoured with a culinary award in 2024 (www.themissionaz.com).
Translated by Bethszabee Garner
