About Fini Chico

In 1992 Mo Fini, his partner Lucy and their 5 month old daughter, Nina, left the UK for an epic journey around Latin America. Their first stopping point was Santiago where they landed on the outskirts in an area known as Lo Cañas. Their onward journey was delayed as they waited for their fully equipped landrover to arrive at the main Chilean port of Valparaíso. To kill time, they began taking hikes into the range of mountains above Lo Cañas. On one of these hikes on reaching the top, they came across a rusty old metal sign which read "Se vende" (For Sale). Intrigued, Mo took down the number and when he rang it later found that he was speaking to the very surprised owners.

They were two old ladies who were astonished because as far as they knew their brother had put the sign up over 15 years before and no-one had ever shown any interest before.

Swimming pool with separate toddlers pool

View of Manqueque volcano from the bedroom of the house

Mo and Lucy had fallen in love with the area - seduced by its wildness - and with the help of a friend Mo managed to purchase the land. In the meantime they carried out a year long journey from Santiago down south to Tierra del Fuego and then following roads north as far as Caracas in Venezuela. During this epic journey they developed the design of what was to become Fini Chico.

When they had returned back home to Bath in the UK, Mo went back to Chile. He found some local stone masons who with him travelled north and south in search of mules to help carry the stones that would be necessary to build a house, stones that had to be brought from the mountainside above the house to lower levels ready for building.

During the following five years, a large tent became the home of stone masons, mules and the newly appointed permanent caretaker, Osvaldo.