Valparaíso, qué disparate eres

Fishfingersrepublic visited Valparaiso in November 2019, during a tough but historically important time for the whole country. La Revolución de los 30 pesos or the Estallido social, just to quote some of the few headings attached to the protests that did outbreak a month earlier in Santiago, when the raise of the metro fares of the Chilean Capital led to an escalation of riots and demonstrations all over the country.

Given the circumstances, and despite not everything being completely up and running, the vintage beauty of the city was a sweet surprise, that outreached any possible prediction. We hit "The jewel of The Pacific" with the modern metro from Viña del Mar in a 15 minutes ride. The Gran Valparaiso is an area of 4 different municipalities that count more than a million residents. The subway reaches the harbor area, the homonym Barrio Puerto. Your eyes are thrilled and all caught up in admiring the cluttered and colorful hills, with its puzzling intricacy of shabby romantic houses and decadent facades. Valpo, as locals call it, was something I had always dreamed about, I just didn't know that.

Plaza Sotomayor give you its captain's welcome aboard: the breeze from the Pacific ocean and the dockworkers frenzy give that early 20s vibe, as everything seem to belong to its bohemian and glorious past. Dominated by the blue Art Nouveau-style facade of the Edificio Armada de Chile and the two towers of the Custom House, the square is the main entrance gate to the city's beauty. Turning to the seaside quay, known as Muelle Pratt, offers a lively image of sea traffic, with the cranes and containers in contrast with ships of different tonnage.

When Chile in 1818 reached independence from the Spanish authority, Valparaiso's maritime economy flourished accordingly, becoming the major port of the Pacific ocean. From foreign sailors to inspired poets, from prostitutes to painters and many other types of wanderers, they all populated the stairways of the city, accidentally creating an old-school globalized microcosm. At Calle Esmeralda 1002 was the first copy of El Mercurio was published, the oldest and probably the most controversial periodical in Chile. As of its conservative stand, the building has been set on fired during the recent riots.

With the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 the maritime traffic drastically diverted from Cape Horn to the new convenient route, indirectly crumbling the volume of the business in Valpo. A situation that at the beginning of the century was already dramatically precarious, especially after the maritime strikes of the port workers in 1903 and the earthquake of 1906 that destroyed a considerable big part of the city. With this economical decline many entrepreneurial families decided to move their business to Santiago, which opened the decline season of Valpo.

For decades the city went through a soft decay, struggling to keep up with its bright past memories until UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 2003, an incitement to dust off the old reputation for which the city had all the potential for a comeback to shine. Some credit for this resurgence should include also Mr. Pablo Neruda and his odes to the city craziness, where he resided from 1961 to his death, in his spectacular House La Sebastiana, located in the Cerro Bellavista and overlooking the bay. In Almacen Nacional, one of the most typical places for real comida Chilena he's part of the dining room and we had the honor to have him to our table to share a glass of the most classic Chilean wines.

Valparaiso owes its sparkling allure to its strong cultural identity: the old hoods nowadays are lively and full of colors. Streetart is an essential landmark of the town, that makes every corner an open-air canvas. The local government has wisely promoted this artsy movement to revitalize its hilly districts, also known as Cerros, where is possible to follow dedicated murals tours. Cerro de la Concepcion is a mecca for the street-art lovers wandering for South America, to mention Calle Almirante Montt, Calle Papudo or Calle Ferrari are just some of the most important streets completely covered by graffiti.

Valpo's growth developed in more than 42 Cerros, each one has its own identity and social connotations. Despite the steep landscape many of the districts are connected with dedicated elevators or funiculars, another symbol of its architectural past. It ain't easy to define all the districts individually, but we can assure you that each one has is own charm. El Cerro de La Concepción is the first steep approach coming from the port, with its little stairs up to its many miradors, super panoramic points where is so easy to admire the beauty of the bay.

It doesn't take much to note that Cerro Concepción has an undeniable European influence, from the colonial little houses in Paseo Atkinson and the fascinating yellow of the panoramic Cafè Brighton to the belfry of the Lutheran church of the Holy cross, constructed by the German community in 1897. Originally built with defensive purpose, the beautiful view Paseo Gervasoni is named after the Italian Consul in town, which is another fantastic snap over the ocean.

From the several artisanal jewelries to the wooden made craft, the shopping options in Valpo are unique and creative: Bazar la Pasion is a wonderful example of Valpo vintage creativity, with a French inspired style. Wandering with all this attractions brought us to Cerro Alegre, another iconic district with another terrific view at Paseo Yugoslavo, where is possible to visit the liberty-style Palacio Baburizza, home of a Croatian businessman in the golden age.

At the end of the day through the streets of Valparaiso you feel overwhelmed by the shoots of colors, of hidden spots and artsy inspirational places. A mixed sense of nostalgia for light-hearted times that don't belong to us but are still alive in the Cerros and in the calles. With the wish that protests in Chile may lead to the best deserved possible for its citizens we cheer to Valparaiso and its culture sipping a Pisco Sour among the vegetables stalls, where every color has something special.