Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Chile Santiago La Chascona

La Chascona

Pablo Neruda's custom-built lover's nest was made to remind him of the sea and named after his mistress' hair.

Santiago, Chile

Added By
Fran Ramis
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
La Chascona   Keith Ewing on Flickr
La Chascona   Edmund Yeo on Flickr
La Chascona   Karla Lopez on Flickr
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
Pablo Neruda’s dinnerware   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
  icatsstaci / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Nobel prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda was known for his romantic verse and passionate life, and when he found that he needed a place to meet with his mistress he built La Chascona, an inland piece of seaside living that he named after his lover's most striking feature, her hair. 

During his third and final return to Chile, Neruda met Matilde Urrutia, and the two struck up a heated affair. By this time in Neruda's life, he was a nationwide (if not worldwide) celebrity. Being caught having an affair would have been disastrous for his image. His answer was to construct la Chascona ("messy hair" in English) in Santiago, a house where he and Urrutia could be alone together. A notorious lover of the sea, Neruda built the dining room in the style of a captain's cabin, and the living room to look like a lighthouse. He filled the home with works of art from friends and family including a painting given to Neruda by Urrutia that displays his face hidden in her famously curly locks.

They would eventually wed and even be buried next to one another, leaving La Chascona as a symbol of their enduring love. The house is now in the hands of the Pablo Neruda Foundation in Chile. It is open for visitors, along with his other two Chilean homes. The home is a museum not just to Neruda's final years, but also of his love of art and Matilde Urrutia. 

Related Tags

Poetry Eccentric Homes Museums Literature Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

frani182

Edited By

torg, EricGrundhauser, icatsstaci, mocchiatto

  • torg
  • EricGrundhauser
  • icatsstaci
  • mocchiatto

Published

March 27, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.lonelyplanet.com/chile/santiago/sights/architecture/la-chascona
  • http://santiagotourist.com/the-houses-of-neruda/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Chascona
La Chascona
160 Fernando Márquez de La Plata
Providencia
Santiago
Chile
-33.43113, -70.634468
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Torre Telefonica Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

La Picá de Clinton

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Monument to the Indigenous People

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santiago

Santiago

Chile

Places 14
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Torre Telefonica Chile

Santiago, Chile

miles away

La Picá de Clinton

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Monument to the Indigenous People

Santiago, Chile

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Santiago

Santiago

Chile

Places 14
Stories 1

Related Places

  • 221b, Baker Street

    London, England

    221b Baker Street

    The popularity of Sherlock Holmes led to the creation of his fictional address, turning the orderly London street numbers askew.

  • Sun porch.

    Montgomery, Alabama

    F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum

    The former home of the hard partying literary power couple is now one of the only museums devoted to their story.

  • Ernest Hemingway Birthplace and Museum

    Oak Park, Illinois

    Ernest Hemingway Birthplace and Museum

    The famous author's birthplace is preserved in a town that he once described as narrow-minded.

  • Hemingway’s typewriter.

    Havana, Cuba

    Finca Vigía

    The house that birthed The Old Man and The Sea is now a museum devoted to the old man who wrote it.

  • Segovia, Spain

    Antonio Machado House-Museum

    Poet Antonio Machado's former residence offers the quintessential Castilian lifestyle of the provincial towns in the early 20th century.

  • Lisbon, Portugal

    Casa Fernando Pessoa

    A museum dedicated to one of Portugal's most celebrated writers.

  • Interior of the house

    Paris, France

    Maison de Victor Hugo

    A museum dedicated to one of Paris’s most famous residents, tucked into a corner of one of the city’s most famous squares.

  • North Adelaide, Australia

    David Roche House Museum

    A vast and opulent collection of art and show dog memorabilia collected over one man's lifetime.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.