travel
For a glimpse into Chilean history, I strolled around the Plaza de Armas, at the heart of the city since it was founded by a Spanish conquistador in 1541, and still home to imposing buildings flanked by towering palm trees, and admired the exquisite pottery from the country’s pre-Columbian cultures on display at the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino. Then I squeezed along the narrow lanes of La Vega, the city’s permanently busy food market, where stalls were piled high with fresh and exotic produce, such as the nutty-flavoured lucuma. I couldn’t leave without sampling Chile’s renowned wines. At the Matetic Vineyards, set in a fertile valley little more than an hour’s drive from Santiago towards the coast, I tasted everything from the tropical, citrus-scented sauvignon blanc to the flagship spicy syrah. It was the perfect spot to raise a toast to Chile and its intoxicating mix of sophistication, wine and wilderness.
more information Cox & Kings (020 3813 9336, coxandkings.co.uk) offers a seven-day tour to Chile priced from £4,195 pp, including direct flights from London Heathrow with British Airways, private transfers and excursions, domestic flights with LATAM, two nights at Luciano K in Santiago, three nights at Explora Atacama and two nights at Casa Higueras in Valparaiso.
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