The house at Isla Negra is Pablo Neruda's most eccentric and wonderful; a poem in itself.
Pablo Neruda’s house on Isla Negra is one of the most visited destinations in Central Chile.
The quirky house on the stretch of beach known as Isla Negra south of Valparaíso was Neruda’s favorite and is the most eccentric of his three houses and a poem in itself. The others, in Valparaíso and the Bellavista district of Santiago, are also musuems and have the same strange collections, design, and sea references.
The house is decorated with Neruda’s fantastic collections of strange objects. There is Bauhaus furniture, butterflys, sea shells, paintings, lamps, books, and a large stone fireplace adorned with stones such as lapis lazuli. As with the other houses as well, there is a prominent bar area. The poet’s tomb sits in the spot he designated facing the sea and beside his wife Matilda. He wrote:
“Comrades, bury me in Isla Negra
in front of the sea I know, of every sand rugged with stones
and with waves my lost eyes
will not see again…”
Each house resembles the boat and has touches of the sea and each setting combines many natural elements such as mountains or ocean. The main dining area at Isla Negra is filled with huge wooden mastheads taken off of one time seafaring vessels featuring maidens with long flowing hair.
The house was purchased from a Spanish ship capitain in 1938 who owned much of the land along the coast. Not long after buying it, Neruda and Catalan architect Germán Rodríguez Arias began to add on the house based on Neruda’s three intentions: a tower, a chimney and a large window facing the sea. A roof was also added which was meant to remind the poet of his childhood in Temuco.
The house was raided by Pinochet’s regime just days after the September 11, 1973 coup while Neruda lay dying of cancer.
Pablo Neruda is a Nobel Prize winning Chilean poet, a one time Senator, a Communist, an exhile, and the biggest celebrity of his time and his words are just as recognized today as they ever were.
A small restaurant with Neruda’s favorite dishes, gift shop, and a small events room have been added to the house, which has been done to all Neruda’s houses now by the Fundacion Neruda.
Isla Negra, which is not an island at all, sits about 2 hours from Santiago or Valparaíso, reached by bus or private tour from either city.
Open: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 6pm.
Guided tour (Spanish): CP$3000 each adult visitor.
Guided tour (English): CP$3.500 each visitor.
