DESTINATION:
Barcelona
The capital of the province of Catalonia is the city par excellence in which the eccentricities and sheer audacity of the Art Nouveau style were taken to new heights. It was here that Anton Gaudí gave free rein to his imagination and designed buildings of extraordinary flamboyance and originality, using a variety of media to shape the style which became known as Modernista. Highly distinctive buildings were created for wealthy clients during its heyday, and perhaps the greatest architectural achievement of the period is the unfinished church of La Sagrada Família, which houses Gaudí’s mortal remains.
Recommended duration - 4 nights/5 days
KEY VISITS (Recommended)
- GAUDI TOUR – a city tour by coach to include the famous avenue, Paseo de Gracia, with its Modernist architecture, and the Parc Güell, a green park with flamboyantly tiled pavilions and walkways. Here you see the Casa Museu Gaudí which offers an insight into the architect’s style in interior design.
- LA SAGRADA FAMILIA – Gaudí’s unfinished Church of the Holy family.
- BARRI GOTIC (Gothic Quarter) – the oldest part of the city, and renowned for the avenue, Las Ramblas. The Catalan capital boasts a wealth of great architecture and our tour will include the Gothic Cathedral, whose origins date from the 13th century.
- PALAU DE LA MUSICA CATALANA – This is a Modernista extravagance of stained glass, tile-work and sculpture designed by Lluis Domenechi Montaner and completed in 1908.
- EIXAMPLE DISTRICT – where many of the city’s Modernista buildings are to be found.
- CASA BATLÓ – a magnificent apartment building renovated by Gaudí between 1904 and 1906.
- CASA MILÀ – Gaudí’s most famous apartment building, which is nicknamed La Pedrera (the Quarry) due to its unconventional rough-hewn appearance.
- FUNDACIÓ TÀPIES – established in 1984 to promote the study and understanding of modern art, and exhibiting modern and contemporary art from all over the world.
- MONTJUÏC – the hill dominating the southern part of Barcelona, offering spectacular views of the city.
- FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ – housing a representative collection of the artist’s surrealistic work spanning his entire career.
- PAVELLÓ MIES VAN DER ROHE – a glass and stone polished pavilion designed in the Bauhaus style for Germany’s exhibit at the 1929 International Exhibition.
- PICASSO MUSEUM – the largest collection of Picasso’s work in the world.
- MONESTIR DE PEDRALBES – this 14th century monastery was declared a historic and artistic national monument in 1931, and the building is of great architectural, sculptural and pictorial interest. A magnificent three-storey cloister contains beautiful murals by the Catalan artist, Ferrer Bassa.
- FUNDACIÓN COLECCIÓN THYSSEN BORNEMISZA – housing paintings and sculptures from Italy and Germany between the 13th and 18th centuries, including examples of Italian Renaissance and European Baroque.
FURTHER AFIELD
- GIRONA – charming town dating from the Roman times. Huge foundation stones mark the route of the Via Augusta, the important road which originally ran from Tarragona to Rome. Here we will explore the bustling labyrinthine old town and the former Jewish Quarter which has been partially restored. Visits will also include the statuesque Cathedral, which blends Catalan baroque and Gothic architectural styles, and houses a number of treasures including a marble throne, a silver encrusted altarpiece, Romanesque artworks and statuary, an unusual 10th century illuminated manuscript and a well-preserved vibrant tapestry, dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries.
- FIGUERES – whose most famous son is Salvador Dalí. Dalí was born here in 1904, and consequentially the town’s principal attraction is the unique Dalí Museum, which traces every aspect of the surrealist artist’s life and career through a wide variety of media.
- EMPÚRIES – an ancient Greco-Roman town on the coast comprising three distinct areas: the old town (Palaiapolis), which was founded by the Greeks in 600 BC, the new town (Neapolis), which was built 50 years later to serve as a trading centre, and the Roman town, which dates back to 218 BC.
- MONTSERRAT MONASTERY – since the 12th century, Montserrat has been one of Spain’s most famous pilgrimage centres and, as its name suggests, this glorious monastic complex is situated on top of a jagged mountain and affords spectacular panoramic views. The complex is home to a fine Benedictine Monastery, including the Santa Maria de Montserrat sanctuary, plus many chapels, cloisters, hermits’ caves and a baptistery. There is also a small art gallery with 19th and 20th century Catalan and Italian religious artworks.