The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics (DAA) of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile (PUC) operates a small observatory at Santa Martina hills located in the outskirts of Santiago. Despite the close distance (about 30 km) from the centre of a very large metropolitan area, the observatory offers excellent conditions in terms of number of clear nights and relatively good conditions in terms of light pollution and image quality. The observatory is mostly used for didactic purposes, however we are evaluating scientific applications as well.