Finca Vigía & Cojímar

Finca Vigía — Hemingway's Home

The Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm) in San Francisco de Paula, 15 km southeast of Havana, was Ernest Hemingway's home from 1939 to 1960. Here he wrote "The Old Man and the Sea," "Across the River and Into the Trees," and parts of "A Moveable Feast." The house remains in its original condition: 9,000 books on the shelves, hunting trophies on the walls, his typewriter on the table, empty rum bottles and magazines — as if he had just left the room.

You look inside through the open windows — entering the house is not allowed to protect the furnishings. In the garden: his boat Pilar (on which he fished and gathered material for "The Old Man and the Sea"), his swimming pool, and the graves of his cats.

Cojímar — The Fishing Village from the Novel

Cojímar, 10 km east of Havana, was Hemingway's fishing port and the inspiration for the harbor in "The Old Man and the Sea." His friend Gregorio Fuentes — fisherman, boat captain, and the real-life model for the old fisherman Santiago — lived here until his death in 2002 (he was 104 years old). At the harbor stands a Hemingway bust, cast from ship fittings collected by the fishermen. The restaurant La Terraza de Cojímar was reportedly Hemingway's regular spot — fresh fish and sea views.