42 hills (cerros) surround Valparaiso to form a natural amphitheater. Needless to say, a hilly sort of place and I stayed at the Fauna hotel on Paseo Dimalow, Cerro Alegre. Gorgeous location, great food and lovely staff! 

Pablo Neruda’s house, La Sebastiana : Poet; diplomat and Nobel prize winner for literature – Pablo set up his second residence in Valparaiso “I feel the tiredness of Santiago. I want to find a little house to live and write tranquil. With neighbours hopefully invisible. Original but not uncomfortable. With many wings, but strong”. Just a few of the house features he sought in requesting friends to find his home. And La Sebastiana was the result in 1960. An eclectic 5 floor residence with ship paraphernalia, beautiful coloured glass in differently shaped windows, lots of bric a brac, maps and paintings with beautiful views out over the port. He and his mistress lived here from 1960 to 1973 when he died, just a few months after Pinochet had established his dictatorship. Pic is from the top floor.

Graffiti around Cerro Bellavista: Among street art fans from all over the world, Valparaiso is considered as one of the most special graffiti art meccas. But even if you are used to seeing bright murals around a city, nothing can prepare you for the colourful sensory overload that one experiences when exploring the steep streets of Valparaiso. Anywhere you look at, there are kaleidoscopic murals, each brighter than the last one.

Parque Cultural Cerro Carcel (Prison Hill Cultural Park): up until 1999, the property was a working prison (and one of the 1000 torture centres in Pinochet’s era!). Now. it combines open space for recreation and public events with a performance venue and studios for creative activities.  I saw Vivian Maier’s photos the theme of “Andean festivals”. Fabulous images! Cerro Carcel, also had some great views, excellent street art, and many colorful homes in the area.

Vina del Mar (Vineyard of the Sea):  is known for its resorts, malls, extensive coastal skyscrapers (think Gold Coast), hotels and entertainment venues. Clean and orderly with manicured boulevards lined with palms, a sprawling public beach and extensive parkland – Vina is a far cry from the concrete, jumbled neighbourhoods of Valparaiso.

Con Con:  from Vina del Mar, the narrow road winds around huge rock formations, through many coastal fishing communities and beach playgrounds and past high dunes with pounding surf. It sounds attractive doesn’t it? Didn’t find it so – too much concrete for me, but had a lovely seafood lunch at Alto Mar restaurant.