Chile
Santiago
Whenever I stay on top of a hill overlooking a never before explored city — in this case Cerro San Cristóbal — I often find myself gazing at the panorama and wondering what might be hidden in those parts of the city people usually deem uninteresting or boring. The places they say “It’s boring,” “there’s nothing there to see.” I’ve never quite agreed with that.
And surprisingly enough — despite what many tourist recommendations might suggest — the people of Santiago seem to agree with me. Almost everyone I spoke to kept bringing up their favourite corners of the city I should visit. Places that rarely appear in guidebooks or “top-10 to do” lists (…).
Providencia
Originally developed in the late 19th century as an upper-class residential area, Providencia grew into one of Santiago’s most vibrant and livable districts, mixing together historic charm with modern city life.
It subverted all of my expectations. It felt very different from Buenos Aires, where I had just arrived from. Colonial architecture and Art Nouveau gave way here to more American-style wooden foursquares and mansions, and even the cars on the streets leaned heavily toward pickup trucks and SUVs (…).
Nunoa
Long before it became what it is today, Ñuñoa was not even part of the city of Santiago itself. The land on which it now stands was originally inhabited by indigenous Mapuche-Picunche communities, who cultivated the fertile terrain shaped by the nearby Mapocho River. Even the name itself is believed to come from Mapudungun, hinting at something green, something alive—fitting, considering what the district would later become.
When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, the area transformed into a patchwork of haciendas and agricultural estates. It remained largely rural for centuries—a quiet periphery supplying food to the growing colonial city founded in 1541 (…).