On October 17, 1870, the teenage José Martí spent nine weeks of exile at this farm-prison before his deportation to Spain. Legend has it that the revolutionary's mother forged the shackles he wore here into a ring, which Martí wore to his death. Set below the Sierra de las Casas, the old hacienda's surroundings are as much of an attraction as the museum. It's signed off the main road to Hotel Colony (a continuation of Calle 41), 3km southwest of Nueva Gerona.
The house is still occupied by descendants of Giuseppe Girondella, who hosted Martí here. A dirt road just before the museum leads north to the island's former marble quarry, clearly visible in the distance.
