La-Serena

La-Serena - the important historical and economic centre of the north of the country, and also one of the oldest cities of Chile. Located at coast of Pacific ocean, in a river Rio-Elki mouth, it since olden days was the centre of extraction of silver and copper, and also large agricultural region of the country.

Its importance for the country underlines presence of the own mint which building decorates till now this city. Today La-Serena not only and it is not so much industrial centre, how many city-monument, and already competes with Vinja-del-Mar as an excellent beach resort. The city is famous for winemaking and wine погребками. Nearby - the greatest in Southern hemisphere observatory Тололо.

Except the whole chain of beautiful coast, in a city it is possible to find out carefully restored churches, including a cathedral St. Франциска (1844), the numerous craft markets, good museums, including a magnificent Archaeological museum and the Museum of religious art and the Museum of mineralogy Игнасио Домейко, and also set of picturesque villages nearby. To the east of a city silent valley Rio-Elki is stretched. Irrigated with numerous channels, it is entirely set by fruit plantations - папайя, apples, oranges, avocado and the grapes, grown up on these earths, are considered as the best in the country.