First tour on a guided walking tour with free admission to museums, libraries, and churches in Viña del Mar, with views of magnificent squares and monumental works that showcase the Garden City.
The meeting point will be at the Church of Nuestra Señora de Dolores, also known simply as the Parish of Viña del Mar. It's a Catholic temple located at the crossroads of Calle Álvares and Plaza Eduardo Grove, in the heart of Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Region, Chile, a place that was named after San Padre Hurtado, a Chilean saint. Emilio Jecquier's work from 1912.
Then we'll head into the Palacio Vergara, a heritage building located inside the Quinta Vergara park in the city of Viña del Mar. It was declared a Historic Monument by Exempt Decree No. 2479, of July 31, 2008.
The storey of the place is that after the 1906 earthquake collapsed the family mansion of the city's founders, Blanca Vergara had architects Ettore Petri and Alejandro Petri build a new building on the foundations of the old one. Inspired by the Ca' d'Oro in Venice, the palace opened in 1910.
We'll continue our walk through Plaza José Francisco Vergara, more commonly known as Plaza Vergara or simply Plaza de Viña. This square is located in the centre of Viña del Mar in the Valparaíso Region of Chile, specifically on the land formed by the extension of Avenida Libertad, across the bridge of the same name, between Arlegui and Valparaíso streets. The place is surrounded by large palaces that are now home to clubs.
We'll enter the Rioja Palace, a building located in Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Region, Chile, in the sector of Población Vergara, on Calle Bella between 3 and 4 Norte. The palace, along with its surrounding park, was declared a National Monument of Chile, in the category of Historic Monument, by Supreme Decree No. 262, of May 14, 1985. Since 1979, the Viña del Mar Museum of Decorative Arts has been operating on the site.
The place belonged to the Spanish-born businessman Fernando Rioja Medel, from whom it gets its name.
It currently houses the Rioja Palace Museum of Decorative Arts, which exhibits and safeguards a collection of almost 384 pieces, including furniture, textiles, and decorations typical of the Chilean aristocracy of the early 20th century. Empire-style pieces, exact replicas of Napoleonic furniture, fine textile murals, and ornamental elements are the highlights.
And we'll end up at the Fonck Museum, which is now the Francisco Fonck Museum of Archaeology and History. It's located at Calle 4 Norte 784, corner of 1 Oriente, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile.
We'll say goodbye next to the original Moai, brought here in 1951 from Easter Island, and we'll let you decide whether or not to enter the Museum.