Visiting La Sebastiana is a journey. Here we tell you some of its secrets and why it is so worth visiting it

Pablo Neruda was a poet, an eccentric, a bohemian and a collector, who in addition to leaving us inspiring verses, left us three houses, three dwellings that became extensions of his personality and that today we can visit. One of them is La Sebastiana.

"I built the house. I made it first of air. Then I raised the flag in the air and left it hanging from the sky, from the star, from the light and the darkness, "wrote Neruda in the poem" A la Sebastiana ", now converted into a fascinating museum house.

As well as the house of Pablo Neruda in  ​Isla Negra​  and the Chascona in Santiago, La Sebastiana exudes a part of the poet in each of its corners. To enter the house, you have to access from a second floor, which reaches a bright living room and dining room, separated by a circular fireplace. The view of the hills and the bay of Valparaíso from this space is simply perfect. On the next floor is the master bedroom and at the last, the poet's library.

The house is full of nooks and crannies, memories of his travels and extravagant spaces. We could say that Neruda's description of ​Valparaíso​ fits perfectly for his home: "Valparaíso is secret, winding, backyard ... The stairs start from below and above and twist climbing. They are thin as a hair, give a slight rest, turn vertical. They get dizzy. They rush. They lengthen backward. They never end ".

La Sebastiana, declared a Natural Historic Monument, was built by Sebastián Collado on Cerro Florida and later chosen by Pablo Neruda as his home. Upon arriving from Venezuela, where he had been with Matilde for five months, the poet began to write his books Navegaciones and Hundred Love Sonnets. A work that, added to the hustle and bustle of the city, made him look for a quiet but Inspiring place to complete his work.

This is how Neftalí Reyes Basualto embarked on the search for a house in his beloved Valparaíso: "I want to find in Valparaíso a little house to live and write quietly. It has to have some conditions. It can not be very tall or short. It must be solitary, but not in excess. Neighbors, hopefully invisible. They should not be seen or heard. Original, but not uncomfortable. Very light, but strong. Neither very big nor very small. Far from everything but close to mobilization. Independent, but with commerce nearby. It also has to be very cheap. " Finally his friend Sara Vial, to whom he wrote these words, found exactly what the poet was looking for.

How to get to La Sebastiana

From the Espíritu Santo elevator, walk 800 meters up along the Hector Calvo street.A second option is to take a green bus on Serrano Street near Plaza Sotomayor in El Plan or from the plaza at Templeman Point in Cerro Alegre and get off at 6900 Av Alemania.

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