We saw the artist as he was painting scenes of the lovely city on ceramic tile. Valparaiso. The city reminds us of San Francisco with the steep streets and sidewalks.
"Valparaíso (Paradise Valley) and also called "Valpo" locally, is one of the country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is the capital of the Region of Valparaíso. Although Santiago is Chile's official capital, Valparaiso houses the National Congress. The Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area (which includes Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué and Villa Alemana) has the third largest concentration of population in the country after Greater Santiago and Greater Concepción. Valparaíso’s newspaper, El Mercurio de Valparaíso is the oldest Spanish-language newspaper in circulation in the world. Travel between Valparaíso and Santiago currently takes about 80 minutes via a modern toll highway.
Nicknamed “The Jewel of the Pacific”, Valparaíso was declared a world heritage site based upon its improvised urban design and unique architecture. In 1996, the World Monuments Fund declared Valparaíso’s unusual system of funicular elevators (highly-inclined cable cars) one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures. In 1998, grassroots activists convinced the Chilean government and local authorities to apply for UNESCO world heritage status for Valparaíso. Valparaíso was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003, thanks to its historical importance, natural beauty (large number of hills surrounding a picturesque harbour), and unique architecture (particularly, a mix of 19th century styles of housing). Built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts a labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodying a rich architectural and cultural legacy. The dock is within walking distance of some of the sights.: by Lyle
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