LA SEBASTIANA

In 1959, Pablo Neruda asked his friends Sara Vial and Marie Martner to find him a small, inexpensive house in Valparaíso, as he was feeling "tired of Santiago". He finally chose this house, built in part by the Spaniard Sebastian Collao until his death in 1949. But he found it too big, so he bought it as a condominium with Marie Martner and her husband, Dr. Francisco Velasco, and moved into the^3rd and^4th floors. According to Neruda, Collao wanted to turn the third floor into an aviary and the terrace into a heliport for possible "astronavigations". In tribute to his architect, the poet named the house Sebastiana. It was inaugurated on September 18, 1961, and Neruda wrote a poem in its honor. The vestibule and entrance to the house are adorned with paintings by Delia del Caril, Pablo Neruda's second wife, nicknamed La Hormiguita (the little ant). Another painting, hanging behind a superb sofa, depicts José Miguel Carrera, hero of Chilean independence. The coloured stone mural and floor mosaic are by Maria Martner. The colored stained-glass windows, of which Neruda was so fond, give the entrance hall a beautiful luminosity. On the second floor are the living room, dining room and bar. Again in homage to independence, one is greeted by representations of Lord Cochrane, the hero of the capture of Valdivia. There are also a number of oddities on display, including a small carousel horse that testifies to Neruda's playful tastes, a ceramic cow on a small round table that was used to prepare punch, etc. In the living room, in addition to the stuffed toucan Coro-Coro, there's an ammonite table carved by Maria Martner and the colored glasses that, according to the poet, "made the water taste better". We then arrive at the bar, the poet's secret lair, where only he was allowed to officiate and where his poetry took on a liquid consistency, notably with his famous Coquetelón cocktail. There's an impressive photograph of Whalt Whitman, who, along with Baudelaire and Rimbaud, was Neruda's favorite poet. Not everything in the house is in the best taste, but here every object has a story to tell. The architecture and shimmering colors of the house are definitely worth a visit, even if you know nothing about the poet! The museum also features a superb garden with colorful swings and sculptures, as well as a small café and an excellent bookshop.