December 13, 2025

Santiago, Chile

Mary had closed the drapes last night, apparently in an effort to reduce the music from the area below our window. This kept the sun at bay, and when I woke up at 05:30 it was dark in the room.  I showered and got dressed then went down to the restaurant just off the lobby for breakfast. Simply a cappuccino and brioche, and a cappuccino to go for Mary.

I arrived back in the room just before it went 08:00. We are to meet Susan and Richard in the lobby at 09:00 to go to Valparaiso for the day, and on the way back stop at a winery- Casas Del Bosque in the Casablanca Valley.

We had a driver and a car. Damien, the driver, was very good at pointing things out to us along the way. We took highway 68 to Valparaiso. We drove around the town.  Valparaiso isn’t just a major city; it also describes a region in Chile. Yes, there is a major city named Valparaiso. It is a major seaport and naval base. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaiso de Arriba, in Castile-La Mancha, Spain.

Greater Valparaíso is the second-most populous metro area in the country. Valparaiso is the second-largest city in the metro area (behind Viña del Mar). Valparaíso is the capital of Chile's second most-populated administrative region and has been the Chilean Navy headquarters since 1817, as well as being the seat of the National Congress of Chile since 1990.

Valparaiso from Neruda’s House

Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century when it served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Straits of Magellan. The area experienced rapid growth during its golden age as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "jewel of the Pacific". Notable developments during this bustling period include Latin America's oldest stock exchange, the continent's first volunteer fire department, Chile's first public library, and the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world, El Mercurio de Valparaíso. In 2003, the historic quarter of Valparaíso was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The twentieth century was unfavorable to Valparaíso, as many wealthy families abandoned the city. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, and the associated reduction in ship traffic, dealt a serious blow to the region's shipping- and port-based economy. By the 21st century, the port of San Antonio had surpassed Valparaíso in trade volume (TEU) handled, leading to the questioning of its traditional moniker of Puerto Principal ("principal port") of Chile.

Between 2000 and 2015, the city experienced a recovery, attracting artists, tourists, and cultural entrepreneurs, who settled after they were attracted by the city's hillside historic districts. Today, many thousands of people visit Valparaíso each month, from Chile and abroad to enjoy the city's labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings. The Port of Valparaíso still continues to be a major distribution center for container traffic, copper, and fruit exports. It also receives growing attention from cruise ships that visit during the South American summer. Most significantly, Valparaíso has transformed itself into a major educational and entertainment hub, with four large traditional universities, and several large vocational colleges.

While the city is well-known for its artisans and bohemian culture, it is also famous as the home of several highly-regarded music festivals and other artistic events. The largest, and arguably most iconic, is the annual Viña Del Mar International Song Festival (often simply called "Viña" or "Viña Del Mar"). Typically held in March, in a recently refurbished, 40,000-capacity amphitheater, "Viña" is one of the biggest annual economic boosts to the region, as the event usually sells-out completely, and thousands of attendees and workers will travel to and stay in the city and metro area. In addition to showcasing numerous performers of many styles, and awarding various prizes, the internationally-televised and live-streamed festival is typically headlined by superstar musicians, from both the Spanish- and English-speaking worlds.

While Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar are physically connected cities, they are clearly to different cities. Valparaiso is a collection of old buildings and unplanned construction. Whereas Viña Del Mar is more the planned city. Viña Del Mar is the wealthy side of the bay. It is also the tourist spot. One doesn’t stay the night in Valparaiso but one does stay in Viña Del Mar.

We visited the home of Pablo Neruda. Who? Well, that was my question. Honestly, I knew nothing of the man. Pablo Neruda was his pen name. He won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Ok, in 1971 I was a either a freshman or sophomore in college and perhaps more focused on other things

Pablo Neruda was born Ricardo Eliécer Naftalí Reyes Basoalto in 1904. He was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician. He became known as a poet when he was only 13 years old. He wrote in many styles, including surrealist poems, historical epics, political manifestos, a prose autobiography, and passionate love poems such as the his collection of Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (1924)l

Neruda occupied many diplomatic positions in various countries during his lifetime and served a term as a senator for the Chilean Communist Party. When President Gabriel González Videla outlawed communism in Chile in 1948, a warrant was issued for Neruda's arrest. Friends hid him for months, and in 1949 he escaped through a mountain pass near Maihue Lake into Argentina; he would not return to Chile for more than three years. He was a close advisor to Chile's socialist president Salvador Allende; Neruda served as Chile's ambassador to France under his presidency. When he went back to Chile after accepting his Nobel Prize in Stockholm, Allende invited him to read at the Estadio Nacional before 70,000 people.

Neruda was hospitalized with cancer in September 1973, at the time of the coup d'état led by Augusto Pinochet that overthrew Allende's government but returned home after a few days when he suspected a doctor of injecting him with an unknown substance for the purpose of murdering him on Pinochet's orders. Neruda died at his home in Isla Negra on 23 September 1973, just hours after leaving the hospital. Although it was long reported that he died of heart failure, the interior ministry of the Chilean government issued a statement in 2015 acknowledging a ministry document indicating the government's official position that "it was clearly possible and highly likely" that Neruda was killed as a result of "the intervention of third parties". However, an international forensic test conducted in 2013 rejected allegations that he was poisoned.

Neruda is often considered the national poet of Chile, and his works have been popular and influential worldwide. The Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquezonce called him "the greatest poet of the 20th century in any language", and the critic Harold Bloom included Neruda as one of the writers central to the Western tradition in his book The Western Canon.

Ok, so maybe one should read some of what he wrote. The house is an interesting collection of “things”. It is built or put together in a neighborhood which looks more like a slum than an area where a Nobel Prize winner should live. He clearly was an eclectic gentleman. Bohemian may be the word that best describes it.

We had lunch at La Concépción restaurant in Valparaiso. Mary and I had soup. She had the Potage de Zapallo (Chilean pumpkin soup, light flavored with fresh ginger, goat cheese and basil) and I had the Crema de Tomate (roasted tomatoes and vegetables, with a touch of merken pepper, finished with cream and a parsley oil drizzle). They were very good. Mary had the Ensalada César (a Caesar salad with chicken). I also had the Plateada Braseada acompañada pastelera de choclo (braised brisket with creamed corn polenta, slow cooked brisket (four hours), served with a beef and vegetable sauce accompanied with creamed corn polenta with a touch of oregano and basil). They were both excellent.

Mary’s Soup

My Tomato Soup

Mary’s Salad

My Beef

After lunch we walked though a very colorful neighborhood where there were numerous graffiti painted by famous local artists. Just a couple of blocks of walking but very nice. Photos just didn’t work out, however.

After the visit to Neruda’s home, we drove over to Viña Del Mar. Like I said before, much more modern, clean and clearly a seaside resort. We saw one of Easter Island iconic Moab monolithic statues which stands outside a museum here. It was stolen from Easter Island in the 1950’s. Although, stolen may not be correct since Easter Island in actually part of Chile.

However, it did make me think we may want to visit Easter Island to see the statues carved by the Papa Nui people over 1,000 years ago. Just have to figure out how to get the 2,000 or so miles from Chile into the middle of nowhere. Turns out it isn’t so difficult. It is only a five-and-a-half-hour flight from Santiago.

We then headed back towards Santiago. We stopped in Casablanca Valley at Casas Del Bosque winery and had a tour and tasting. Wine production in Chile really didn’t begin until the 1990’s after the fall of the dictatorship. The introduction of wine production was mostly by Europeans, Italians and French, who saw the mediterranean like climate here in central Chile.

We tasted several wines all of which are available in the United States at less than $20! The one we liked best was called La Tampa (2023). It is a very dark violet color with slight blue hues. It is a blend of Syrah (65%), Malbec (32%) and Pinot Noir (3%). Malbec with its floral notes takes a prominent role in in this blend. The Pinot Noir helps to prefect the balance and intensity of the Syrah and Malbec. Ages in French oak barrels. They say the wine will peak in 4-6 years, so if you find it look for a recent vintage.

We also tasted the Botanic Series Sauvignon Blanc (2025), Botanic Series Chardonnay (2024), Carménère Gran Reserva (2024) and a Pequeñas Pinot Noir (2024) all of which were excellent. In fact, usually Pinot Noir isn’t something I would choose but this one is good.

It was late when we got back to Santiago. We had a light dinner in the Atrium lounge at the hotel and called it a night.  

Buonanotte e ciao

Enrico e Maria