We had the opportunity to visit the Open City of Ritoque.
The Open City, located on the dunes of Ritoque, north of Valparaiso, arose from the need of its founders and inhabitants to have a space to develop, in the light of Amereida, the project of combining life, work and study from the encounter between poetry and crafts. It was founded in 1970 by poets, architects, designers, sculptors, philosophers and artists from the School of Architecture of the Catholic University of Valparaíso, as well as from Latin America and Europe.
We were welcomed and guided on a tour of the site by the current Director of the School of Architecture of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Mr. Juan Carlos Jeldes.
We were accompanied by the architect Mr. Daniel Morales, who is also a councilman of the Municipality of Valparaíso and some architecture students who work or do their professional practice in his office, located in a former Jesuit convent in Valparaíso.
Also present our friends from Germany, Regina Friese-Wittmer and Hans Ruoff, both related to art and design in the city of Berlin. Hans owns an art gallery, where important Chilean artists, such as Karen Lüderitz, have exhibited their works.
We began our tour of the city’s community spaces, such as its squares and amphitheaters.
In the cemetery, rest some of its founders and promoters of this city: Alberto Cruz, Jose Vial, Godofredo Iommi, Claudio Girola, who were my professors during my studies at the School of Architecture at the Catholic University of Valparaiso and who today rest in the cemetery of the city they helped to found.
The current inhabitants of one of the emblematic houses of the city, once also inhabited by Juan Carlos Jeldes, welcome us with an Italian coffee and warm hospitality, which gives us the opportunity to get to know the interior of this very special house.
The interior is full of light, color, shapes and warm hospitality.
We leave happy and impressed by this magnificent work, which we have had the privilege of touring, accompanied by luxury hosts and its special inhabitants.
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1 comment
Muy buena visita