The seaside gateway to the greater Chiloe Province and the cultural hub of the island overall, the city of Castro looks out into the Pacific waters with its trademark palafitos (wooden stilt houses). At first glance the place may look a little ramshackle and rundown, with those crooked waterside homes painted in Neapolitan ice-cream hues of yellow, red and salt-washed timber brown. But, there’s an indelible charm here that lurks between the skewed rafters and rattling walkways of the Gamboa district, and the leafy paths of Plaza de Armas at the city centre that is captivating in its own rural, rustic way. There is the bazaar of Feria Artesanal Lillo, where racks and racks of folk art and Chilean gadgetry coalesce in earthy local stalls, and the sleepy church of Iglesia San Francisco that glows ochre over the bubbling central area, anchoring in the lively Campesina Yumbel fish market with a dose of straight-laced colonial style. And if you’re eager to get out and explore the wonders of greater Chiloe Island, then ask your Castro tourist guide for tips on the UNESCO-attested wooden churches that pepper its shores, or the fascinating penguin coves of Ancud in the north.