In 1939, Ernest Hemingway took up residence at Finca la Vigía, an estate on a hill in the village of San Francisco de Paula, 15km southeast of Havana. When he returned to the Unites States in 1960, the house became a museum dedicated to him. Furniture and personal effects (which can only be viewed from the outside) remain unchanged from the time of the writer's residence here. His boat, El Pilar, is on display near the pool in the garden, attractively planted with palm trees.