by Chile BlogLast updated:: 8:00 AM ET, Wed November 4, 2020 Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda is famous for his poetry worldwide and is easily one of the most famous Chileans in history. If you're thinking of visiting Chile and are a fan of Pablo Neruda, then you're in luck. Three of his houses across the country have become national museums.
La Sebastiana (located in Ferrari 692, Valparaíso)
Neruda acquired this house in 1959. Named after its builder, Sebastián Collado, the house fit a very specific set of requirements for Neruda. He asked his friends to find him a house "that seems like it floats in the air, yet that is well grounded on earth." La Sebastiana was abandoned in 1973, after Neruda's death, but was restored and named a National Monument in 1991.
La Chascona (located in Fernando Márquez de la Plata 0192, Santiago)
In the heart of Barrio Bellavista, at the foot of the San Cristobal Hill, sits La Chascona. Neruda built this house in 1953 and dedicated it to his lover and wife, Matilde Urrutia, the first woman in Latin America to work as a pediatric physical therapist. The name "Chascona" means "untamed hair" and refers to Urrutia's red locks. The house today is a museum and displays several of the different collections that Neruda kept during his lifetime.
Isla Negra (located in Poeta Neruda, El Quisco)
Located on Isla Negra, or Black Island, this house was Neruda's favorite. Built in 1937, it was a quiet place for inspiration and reflection. The house features a dramatic and different design: because of the poet's love for trains and ships, the house features tight wooden corridors and windows along the walls. The house is also the burial site for Pablo Neruda and his wife, Matilde Urrutia.
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