If the city centre to the north side of la Alameda tells a story marred by natural catastrophes, then the south side speaks mainly of manmade disasters. The area that long aspired to match the glory with which the historic quarter had been conceived, ended up looking a little bankrupt. Each time that the country’s economy enjoyed a golden era, this edge of the city blossomed with new developments: palaces, parks, mansions and boulevards as grandiose as the ones built across the Alameda. But these barrios took the brunt of each economic meltdown of the 19th and 20th century, forcing big projects to be abandoned and hopes to be slowly buried in time.
The history of the Barrio Dieciocho and the Barrio República is, hence, an unfinished business. These two neighbourhoods, which in their aristocratic past were deemed as the most ravishing and elite quarters of the city, can – and should – face the future with fresh ambitions. To build on the success of the Barrio Brasil or Lastarria, for example, will depend on how the new generations who now dwell, study or party in these streets exploit the potentials around them. Because potential, there’s plenty. The hidden architectural gems, the dreamy verdant streets and the top-quality facilities (green spaces, universities, museums, a race court and even a much maligned theme park) make this place very visitable and very investable indeed. Thankfully, the consciousness that something needs to be done about this now officially declared ‘conservation area’ has taken hold of Santiaguinos in recent years, and though the challenges ahead aren’t few, something tells you that these two barrios will soon start reclaiming their rightful place at the capital’s heartland.

'At the turn of the 20th century Santiago desired, at all cost, to be Paris.'

The best spot to start a tour of the area is at the Basílica de los Sacramentinos, a good testimony that at the turn of the 20th century Santiago desired, at all cost, to be Paris. This church is an unequivocal replica of the Sacre Coeur in Montmarte, with only the slightest difference in its facade and colour. If you stand in the middle of the Parque Diego de Almagro you will appreciate the dome in all its dimension and uncanny resemblance to the original. The Parisian effect is quickly over, however, as adjacent Calle Santa Isabel is vastly unimpressive, as is Calle San Diego. You’re better off heading west across the square and making a right up Calle San Ignacio, where the true architectural heritage eventually starts to reveal itself. First, at the corner with Calle Alonso Ovalle, there’s a spectacular contrast of styles between a peculiar neo-gothic palace, some elegant neoclassical apartments and the traditional church of San Ignacio towering over the adjacent convent and school. This church was the result of the relocation of the Jesuit headquarters in 1899 from a now disappeared location in Calle Compañía (as in Compañía de Jesús or ‘Society’ of Jesus, the Order’s formal name), down at the centro histórico.
Venture towards la Alameda to check out the buildings that conform the block between Calle San Ignacio and Dieciocho. At number 1550 lies the Círculo Español, the Spanish Social Club, once a worshipful hangout of aristocrats and now a rather unnewsworthy restaurant, which nonetheless boasts an astonishingly beautiful building, with the wroght-iron gate and two dragon-shaped lanterns as the main external features. Just beside the Círculo Español is another of Santiago’s historic venues, the Confitería Torres. Housed in a stunning rococo building, this confitería (a local term for bistro) was for decades the capital’s most sought meeting place for artists, socialites and politicians, including some of the Heads of State whose portraits decorate the walls of the bistro’s self-explanatory ‘Galería de los Presidentes’. The ownership of the Confitería Torres, which had been the property of the same family since 1879, changed hands in 2002 and underwent a refurbishment which attempted to enhance its classy interiors and recuperate its rusty reputation. Now a successful project, the Confitería has bounced back as a ritzy restaurant offering the traditional Chilean cuisine that this very establishment contributed to define through its history.
From the top end of Calle Dieciocho, head south through some of Santiago’s most impressive range of palaces and apartments, and most remarkable architectural balance. This street, named after the national holiday of 18th (dieciocho) September, concentrates dozens of splendid buildings: some are pristinely preserved, some are painstakingly deteriorated. There are some desolated mansions of which nothing remains but the outer shell, underlying the paradox that the legal status of ‘conservation area’ has often been counterproductive in a town that owed much of its recent economic heyday to the boom in new property developments.

Speaking of economic heyday, take a peep at the mansion at the end of the road. The Palacio Cousiño is deceptive in its compact outer appearance and modestly-sized gardens, yet nothing quite prepares you to the sumptuousness ad nauseam that you’ll witness in its interior. Majolica tiles, Carrara marble, Bohemian-crystal chandeliers… you name it: the Cousiño family were a filthy rich, fashion-conscious bunch who cared as much for price tags as they did for their overworked labourers at their profitable coalmines in the country’s south. Now turned into a museum to portray how the rich – the really rich –lived in 19th century Chile, the Palacio Cousiño is an experience you simply cannot miss.
To continue the journey through these two barrios you’ll need to move westwards and across the bleak Norte-Sur highway to find the entrance to the Parque O’Higgins, Santiago’s largest public park. The formerly called Campos de Marte, built in 1840 and originally destined to be a military exercise ground, was opened to the public as a redesigned public park in 1873 thanks to the financial support of no other than Cousiños down the road. The park’s transformation is the credit of the French landscape designer Guillaume Renner, although the maintenance of his fine achievement were not to live up to his or Mr Cousiño’s expectations of creating a local version of the ‘Tuileries’. Renner’s elaborate layout took a serious beating over the course of the 20th century, when a large portion of trees were removed in order to yield to several aslphalt-built esplanades. The 1980s saw the construction of the ridiculously out-of-place Fantasilandia, Santiago’s largest theme-park. As if the screaming noise coming from the rollercoaster playground wasn’t enough, authorities decided to add the largest music venue in South America, an obtuse-looking Arena Santiago, to the already ruined open space. One can only hope that the announcement to carry out a facelift of the park by the Santiago’s local government materialises sooner rather than later.

'The recovery of the Barrio Republica's heritage has been championed by private colleges, art institutes and, er, squatters, generating a non-mainstream, young and studenty atmosphere.'

The grid created by the streets that connect Avenida Blanco Enclada (to the northern edge of the Parque O’Higgins) with la Alameda and the norte-sur highway with the main railway line to the west, constitute what is now commonly denominated as Barrio República. This is another iconic quarter of the city, a good deal greener and less traffic-ridden than the Barrio Dieciocho and undergoing a far more vigorous revival since the 1990s. The recovery of the barrio’s heritage has been championed by private colleges, art institutes and, er, squatters, generating that non-mainstream, young and studenty atmosphere that some Santiaguinos grieve for in places like Bellavista. There is a lively daytime fell in these streets, where college students spread about after class to socialise, drink coffee and catch up on their reading (or at least pretend to).  Leafy and mansion-lined Calle República or polished Avenida Ejército are the most memorable thoroughfares of the area.
Although the Barrio República has become an indisputably genuine enclave for Santiago’s youth, it is hard not to begrudge that the place feels indeed a little niche. Also, one could argue that for every impenetrable student bar around here, there’s the missed opportunity of a jazzy bar, a dinky restaurant or even a cute little boutique hotel. But for what is worth, the fate of this quarter looks a lot more promising than at the other side of the norte-sur highway.
In fact, there are signs of opening out already. The latest arrival to the area is the Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende, previously accommodated in the Barrio Brasil and now housed in a huge mansion donated at number 475 of Avenida República. This art space has stormed the Santiago’s contemporary art scene since its inception in 1999, with the political personalities linked to its foundation and the fame that has enjoyed since. Its no surprise however, as for its purpose some of the world’s greatest living artists donated works, among them Miró, Vasarely and Picasso. The museum also holds regular exhibitions and events in addition to its 2,500-piece permanent collection.