Valparaiso

Valparaiso,the Port City of Central Chile;an amphitheater that faces the
Pacific Ocean is surrounded by 45 hills that,along with its ravines plunge
down into the sea and whose beaches and rock formations form a narrow,
coastal plane.
Home of the National Congress headquarters;Valparaiso also centers
the cultural,naval and fishing institutions of the country.
The city finds in its heritage in its traditions,in its art in its relation to the
sea,the basis for its development.Valparaiso was designated "Heritage
Site of Humanity" by UNESCO.
Valparaiso"s 15 funicular elevators,which are currently in use,are an
important part of the city"s identidy,dating back a centennial,
constitutea current and complete transportation system.
They are fundamental for the vertical development of the city.
The trolleys also give a distinctive seal to Valparaiso and they are
valuable and efficient transportation system for its citizens.
The Port"s bohemian lifestyle offers in its streets and hills an active
nightlife,with its pubs and restaurants .
Valparaiso has always had a great attraction,and it has been a
source of inspiration for artists,musicians and great poets.
Ruben Dario,nicaraguan poet,from here published his main work
Azul,but without a doubt,the most prolific poet in this aspect is
the Chilean Nobel Prize Winner for Literature Pablo Neruda,who
lived in the city,and built his house there;which is today the
Museon La Sebantiana on Cerro Florida.Neruda declarared his
love to this "crazy port" to this "adsurdity" of a city,indicating
that,if we walk through all of Valparaiso"s stairways "we will
have traveled around the world".