La Chascona- Pablo Neruda`s house in Santiago

Today we went to Pablo Neruda`s house in Santiago. It was definitely a culturally enriching experience and we both learned a lot. Pablo Neruda was an amazing man and it was a great time seeing his estate and learning what he had accomplished throughout his life.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the houses (3 on this estate) but we will have a couple here that are from the outside.

Pablo Neruda built this house for his third and final wife in Santiago while their relationship was secret. He was obsessed by the sea despite the fact he could not swim. He built his house to replicate a boat inside with windows, bars, creaky floors and everything to give the feeling of being on board. He even had canals built around his home to have water surrounding the houses so he could hear the water at all times. In addition to his house boat, he also built a building to look like a lighthouse that he and his wife lived in once their relationship could go public (much more windows and incredible views). The third small building on the estate was his study and library where he would read and write. Since he was a diplomat at age 22 he had amazing collections of souvenirs from around the world, it seemed as if every country was represented as well as some of the most famous artists in history who created custom art pieces for him. He had numerous pictures of himself and best buddy Pablo Picasso hugging and having a ball- so cool!

Here are some of the pics we took:


Lighthouse building- the bedroom was on the top floor with the porch, and on the main floor was a living room with famous paintings and collectibles, along with a bathroom.


Outside the estate was a mural an entire street long, we took pictures of the entire thing but here is one section with Neruda´s profile.


Here is a snapshot of the `boathouse` that had a bar, dining room, secret door in a cabinet to upstairs bedroom and study and bathroom.

To see images of the inside rooms go here for a Flash slideshow from the Foundation for Pablo Neruda: