Photos of Ernest Hemingway House in Cuba

Finca La Vigia was purchased by Hemingway in 1940 for $12,500, where he wrote two of his most famous novels.

The story goes that Ernest Hemingway first rented this house in a suburban area of Havana, Cuba, for about a year and then decided to buy it. He lived there for almost 21 years. The estate, Finca Vigia (Lookout Farm), is located in a small village, San Francisco de Paula, and we did not spot any other mansions in that neighborhood of shacks. It’s not far from the town of Cojimar, the setting for the Old Man and the Sea. Our guide Sergio said Hemingway left the house to the Cubans, but there seems to be some question about whether the home was seized by the government, given the time period and all.

They won’t let you go inside, unlike the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida. You can stand on the front porch, providing it’s not raining, and shoot photos and also look through the windows. There is a guide in the office room on the top floor who, for tips, will take your camera and shoot photos for you, or you can aim and shoot yourself. From what I could gather, Hemingway’s widow negotiated with the government to be allowed to retrieve some personal items from the home before being forced to abandon everything else.

You will find wild animals mounted on the walls in almost every room. The furnishings are spartan yet functional. Many books, artwork, and even old checks are left in the home. Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, a 38-foot walnut-hulled fishing vessel, is stored under an open-air covered patio behind the empty pool, next to the graves of four dogs. With my Canon SX50, I was able to zoom to 1200 and shoot the view of Havana from the second floor.

Here are a few photos of the Hemingway House in Cuba:

Dining area of Hemingway House in Cuba, shot through the window.

Guest bedroom at Hemingway House in Cuba

Cuban dog resting on front steps of Hemingway House at Finca La Vigia.

Interior of Hemingway House in Cuba, view from the front porch, most of the rooms sport animal trophies.

Grounds of the Hemingway House in the modest village of San Francisco de Paula in Cuba.

A morning glory type flower in bloom at Hemingway House in Cuba.

Hemingway’s boat, Pilar, and the graves of his dogs at Finca La Virgia, Cuba.

Close up view of Havana, zoomed by Canon SX50, from second floor of Hemingway House in Cuba.

Hemingway’s typewriter sits on the desk on the top floor of Finca la Vigia in Cuba

Resident of San Francisco de Paula walking by the Hemingway House in Cuba.

Photos: ©Elizabeth Weintraub, Canon SX50