La Chascona

La Chascona is the Santiago house of the poet Pablo Neruda, and it is one of the most personal sights in the city. Neruda bought the land on the slopes of Cerro San Cristóbal in Barrio Bellavista in 1953 and built the house for Matilde Urrutia, whom he later married. Its name comes from a Chilean word of Quechua origin for tangled hair, a nod to Matilde's mass of reddish hair.

The design was by the Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias, but Neruda took an active role, editing the plans, and the result reflects his idiosyncratic tastes and above all his fascination with the sea. Matilde lived here alone at first; Neruda moved in after leaving his second wife, Delia del Carril, in February 1955.

Inside you see the collections Neruda loved: books, ship figureheads, seashells and bottles gathered from around the world, alongside furniture and art chosen by the couple. The house was damaged during the 1973 military coup, and Neruda died on 23 September that year; his wake was held here despite the circumstances, twelve days after the coup. Matilde repaired the house, preserved his legacy and lived here until her death in January 1985. It was declared a National Monument in 1990.

Today La Chascona is the headquarters of the Pablo Neruda Foundation. When the foundation's offices moved out to the neighbouring Estravagario cultural space, opened in June 2013, more rooms such as the first bedroom were opened to visitors. Check opening hours and booking arrangements with the foundation before you go. The foundation also uses rooms here for cultural activities and for researchers working with its collections, and Estravagario hosts poetry recitals and book launches, so it is worth looking at the programme if you are interested in Chilean literature. The streets around the house took on an artistic and intellectual character between the 1920s and the 1940s, which suits a visit here.

Allow about an hour. The house sits on a hillside, so visitors with limited mobility should ask about access in advance. It is in Barrio Bellavista, close to the Pío Nono funicular station, so you can combine it with a ride up Cerro San Cristóbal and lunch or dinner in the neighbourhood, where the Castillo Rojo hotel is a block away.