In the Maipo wine valley and between the peaks of Río Clarillo

The metropolitan region of Santiago is known as the Maipo Valley. Leaving the capital after admiring the Metropolitan Cathedral of St James with its Altar del Calvario, where a touching painted wooden crucifix, a gift from the Spanish kings, and the altar dedicated to San Miguel Arcángel can be admired, and after remembering the figure of Salvador Allende by looking at the Palacio de la Moneda, the seat of the Presidency of the Republic, we head towards Pirque, the wine village par excellence in Chile: there are no less than thirteen of its wine-growing areas and hundreds of wineries, among which the Viña Concha y Toro winery undoubtedly stands out, where one can taste the Casillero del Diablo and Don Melchor, penetrating their underground cellars, strolling through the gardens of the former residence of this family that has also become world famous for its exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon. Just a few kilometres away is the Río Clarillo National Park, where you can trek through a dense network of trails among the mountain peaks, while in San José de Maipo, you challenge your strength by rafting through the rapids of the Cajón del Maipo, and then relax at the thermal springs of Baños Colina, watching the San José volcano silhouetted portentously on the horizon.