Pomaire

You can easily spend a morning or afternoon wandering around the quaint village of Pomaire, a former settlement of indigenous people founded in 1771 comprising a few streets of single-story adobe dwellings. On weekends Pomaire teems with people wandering around, shopping, and having lunch in one of the rather touristy country-style restaurants with red-and-white checked tablecloths and clay ovens specializing in empanadas and other typical Chilean foods.

Pomaire is famous for its brown greda, or earthenware pottery, which is ubiquitous throughout Chile. Pastel de choclo is nearly always served in a round, simple clay dish—they're heavy and retain the heat, so the food arrives at the table piping hot.

The village bulges with bowls, pots, and plates of every shape and size, not to mention piggy banks, plant pots, vases, and the unmissable "chanchito de la suerte," three-legged pigs that make great souvenirs. Most shops at the top of the main street sell the work of others; walk farther down or into the side streets and find the workshops they buy from (prices are cheaper there).