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VISIT
BARCELONA INFORMATION GUIDE
It
is difficult to define in a nutshell a city known by
all as Barcelona.
Today we know this city even before going
there for several reasons. We know Barcelona,
for example, for the Barcelona Footbal Club,
the team that has always fought for the Spanish
championship title at Real Madrid in an endless
derby. We know it or we have heard of it for its
fairy-tale modernist architecture (the
Catalan expression of
Art Nouveau) and through some
novels by writers such as Manuel Vàzquez
Montalban, Idelfonso Folcones and
Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
We also know it because it has become a paradise for young
people, a refuge for many artists, a centre of opportunity, a
city that has been able to transform itself into one of the most
dynamic places in the world. Sooner or later, everyone wants to
go there and enjoy some of these things.
Why visit Barcelona?
Spain's
second largest city is competing with
Madrid
as the country's intellectual and economic capital. In many
cases, he has crossed
London
in the imagination of young people, for the opportunities it
offers, its dynamism, fun, cuisine, shopping, medieval and
somewhat mysterious beauty of the Gothic Quarter (Barrio
Gotico) the works of his famous architect
Antoni Gaudì, the surreal and colourful
forms of Joan Miró,
the genius of
Picasso. More and more people are choosing
this city to rebuild their lives after visiting it. Among them a
large group of creative and young entrepreneurs, coming from all
over the world, with many Italians as well, in a cultural
melting pot absolutely suggestive and attractive
Lively all year round, it is a joyful city that
offers the ultimate in art, food, fashion, style,
music and entertainment. The many museums, theatres,
galleries, restaurants and nightlife are considered
to be of the highest quality. Then don't forget
(especially in summer) that we are on the sea, with
the port and beach of Barceloneta as
additional key points of a city in continuous
evolution. You visit an attraction and then take a
dip. To the question, "Why visit
Barcelona?", what we have mentioned could
already be enough for a valid answer, not for one,
but for several places put together, but there is
much more to tell. We will try to do so.
Catalan sobriety
Barcelona
with its 1.6 million inhabitants can be defined as the
metropolis of northern Spain and proudly claims to be not only a
tourist attraction but also the first industrial and financial
centre of the country. The "Barcelonaese" with a little snobbish
way of doing (turned to the rest of Spain) define
themselves as "seny", a Catalan word that describes their
sober approach to life. In short, they think they are more
serious and reliable. An example, here they have never loved the
Corrida (who have been seen since January 1,2012). Another
example, the "Movida"is fine, but the too noisy one is badly
endured, in the morning you have to get up early and be fresh
for the job. It must be said, that this attitude is justified by
the fact that for centuries while Madrid was the administrative
heart of the country, while Barcelona has always been the most
important and prosperous economic center of the nation. It is no
coincidence that it was here that the Spanish industrial
revolution was born, here there were born trends that have
always spread to the rest of the country, here is the main port
of the Mediterranean. It is precisely the port that has always
accentuated its undoubted cosmopolitanism compared to Madrid.
Also for this reason, they feel more in tune with a city like
London than with the capital of Spain. Fortunately, as we will
see, sobriety has not prevented art, eclecticism and fantasy and
a particular care for beauty.
Let's
start our visit in Barcellona
One
of the most famous spots in town to relax with a coffee or a
beer, before starting a journey throughout the city, are Las
Ramblas,
pedestrian streets in the Barrio
Gotico
(Gothic
district or Old Town) with dozens of open air bars and crowded
with all sorts of people, close to the Palau
de la Generalitat,
home of the Catalan Government. You are next to the sea here,
and you can feel it by the wind and the smells, and it's
full of happy voices and walks. The ramblas are well known for
street shows (music, theater, jugglers and mime), pets and
flowers' sellers, people walking up and down all day and night,
both tourists and locals. After drinking something in total
relax you can decide, by looking at your city map, whether to
wander around the narrow roads in the Barrio Gotico or to start
with a glance at the town from above.
Barcelona from above...
If
you chose the second option you can go to the
Montjuic,
a hill from where you'll appreciate a nice panoramic view. The
Montjuic, besides being surrounded by the Olympic quarter, hosts
museums, a beautiful park with gardens, and it's a quite
crowded
spot, even by night. On the top of the Montjuic you can find the
Castle, an ancient military fortress where the national
hero Lluis Companys (President of the Generalitat de
Catalunya during Franco's dictatorship and considered a martyr)
was executed by the francoists. In 2001, the Olympic stadium "Estadi
Olímpic Lluís Companys" was entitled to him. Also worth a
visit, on the border between the district of Francia Chica (on
the northern side of Pueblo Seco) and the Montjuïc Park, the City
of theatre , a complex of structures used for theatrical
representations and theatre schools, which is the headquarters
of the Free Theatre and the Flower Market. An
alternative panoramic view
of
the city is from the Tibidabo
hill, which also hosts a fun fair that was built over 100 years
ago (the second oldest in Europe after the Prater in
Vienna),
and where you can find a small belvedere with an astonishing
view of Barcelona.
People's Barcelona...
If
you're interested in
everyday
life of the city, you should visit its markets: food and flea
markets are the best. The
characteristic
and crowded market of Boqueria is definitely worth a
visit: it already existed in the 13th century and
it's really huge, 2500 sq. metres.
Santa Caterina's Market
is
very interesteing too: located in Born, an area next to
the port which was once populated by ugly people but is very
fashionable today, always in the center of attention. The roof
which covers the
market is fantastic: it looks like the iridescent skin of an
animal, it was designed by the architects Enric Miralles
and Benedetta Tagliabue and it appeared on all the
top architecture magazines of the world. We'll talk about it
more in depth when talking about
The alternative Barcelona.
Romantic Barcelona...
Barcelona in two is nice, why not starting with a romantic walk
in the Parc
de la Ciutadella?
It's a park full of avenues with trees on the sides, with a lake
where you can rent small bats, a few museums, the beautiful
headquarters of
the
local parliament and the zoo. The park is located between the
districts of
La Ribera (east)
and
Barceloneta (north)
and it's the ideal place for a romantic stop or just to escape
from the noise of a busy city. The
Maze of Horta (Jardins del Laberint d'Horta), an historicl
garden in the Horta-Guinardó district, the oldest of this kind
in town, is also very romantic: it includes a neoclassic garden
from the 18th century and a romantic garden from the
19th. Get lost together in the maze of hedges in this
wonderful park.
Gaudì's Barcelona...
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Barcellona is well known
for many reasons, and one of the most important is the
fact that it hosts the architectural works of Antoni
Gaudì,
one of the most celebated architects of all times, the
main exponent of the Spanish modernism. If, by
chance,
you've never heard of Gaudì, then the surprise will be
even bigger when you will visit the Sagrada
Familia,
a masterpiece of modern architecture. |
The
great architect left so
many
works in Barcelona. Among them, the Parc Guell, a
panoramic park inside town which was forged by the infinite
fantasy of the architect, but also the many private houses
designed by him and nowadays admired by millions of tourists.
Most of Gaudì's works have been named Unesco's World
Heritage, including Casa
Batlló (on
the famous Passeig de Gracia, n. 43) and the Pedrera (Casa
Milà).
The first is a house restored by Gaudì at the beginning of the
20th century, with a roof made of majolica tiles
which seems to form the shape of a back of a sparkling dragon;
the other one is a house which was restored by using cement,
majolica, iron, reinforced glass, and stone (the so called
pedrera), in which the hard materials bend, giving an
unexpected
sense of sinuosity to the structure.
Some apartments in the
palace are private and inhabited by their owners (it must be
incredible to live in a house designed by Gaudì himself!), so
they can't be visited. The roof and a flat with ancient
furniture are accessible, though. A curiosity: in this area you
can also find
Tower Agbar, one
of the most
modern buildings in the urban landscape of Barcelona; built in
2005, it's the symbol of the innovation of this city which,
through a modern architecture, looks ahead in the direction of
the future, but always with a particular attention to the glory
of its past and to the buildings that witness this past.You
can stop in Plaça Real, one of the destination preferred
by tourists, for something to eat or drink.
Designed by Daniel
Molina in neoclassic style, with finely decorated
fountains
and street lamps made of wrought iron, the square looks really
good. It's one of the main spots for the lively nightlife of
Barcelona, with tons of people sitting on the sides of its
fountain. On the sides of the square, lines of palm trees make
it look quite exotic. The street lamps have been made by Gaudì:
they were his first work ever made in town. Not far from this
square you can find the medieval gothic quarter Barrio
Gotico:
500 years old, it's a maze of tiny roads which surround the
cathedral, with very typical and wonderful houses. If you didn't
feel like entering one of the bars of Plaça Real because you
thought they are too touristic, you'll probably find some cafè
or tapas bar which will be more suitable for you here.
The character of
Barcelona...
For
those who love bars
and nighlife in Barcelona ,
the most interesting areas are the quarter of Gràcia, in
the high part of the city, and the area of Poble Nou, in
the old industrial zone of Barcelona, located on
the
north of the Olympic area. A curiosity: among the famous
attractions in town we can also include a cafè, the Els
Quatre Gats, a well known spot because Pablo Picasso
used to come here very often at the beginning of his career (you
can also visit the Picasso
Museum,
Montcada 15/19, Ciutat Vella, in the quarter of La
Ribera ,
where you can also find some interesting works from his youth).
Don't miss a visit to
the
old Barceloneta,
with its famous beach and the maritime area; celebrated
by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar in many
of his movies, it hosts a lot of restaurants with fresh fish and
small huts on the beach (called
chiringuitos), which serve drinks and typical Catalan
food.
Barcelona
is wonderful and
joyful
and there's always something to do and to see and, at every time
of the day, somewhere to go. People is friendly and open minded
and it's very easy to make new friends. You can eat and drink
anything in any kind of venue and people of every age gather in
bars to talk and have fun. To name just a few classical places,
maybe a bit touristic but still very good:
Casa
Leopoldo (used to be frequented by writers lik Eduardo
Mendoza and the great Manuel
Vázquez Montalbán),
and more trendy others like Salsitas, which during
weekends after midnight becomes a fashionable club, or the Bestial,
down by the Marina, which has always been a trendy spot.
Wherever you go, remember that dinner time in barcelona is late:
restaurants are empty at 8pm, they serve most people around
10pm.
Montalbán's
Barcelona...
Talking
about Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, you
could
visit Barcelona from his point of view, or better from the point
of view of the protagonist of his novels, the private inspector
Pepe Carvalho, who wanders around the narrow roads
crowded with prostitutes, poor people and immigrants. Inspector
Carvalho was so Catalan that he suffered of insomnia when he had
to visit the enemy city, Madrid. Montalbán's Barcelona is a city
which is a symbol of the contradictions of modernization, where
progress and social, urban and cultural changes, culminated with
the Olympic Games in 1992, contrast with the persistency of
poverty and mass immigration. "
In the '80s you could still
find some stables with cows in Barcelona", writes Quim
Aranda in the book dedicated to the detective Piacere,
Pepe Carvalho. During the 25 years of novels, from his
office on the Rambla, Carvalho was a privileged witness of the
slow transformation of Barcelona, especially on the Barrio
Chino, the old name of Raval, an area delimited by
the crowded Ramala, the commercial calle Pelai
and the ring roads of Sant Antoni and Sant Pau.
These streets host the stories of Pepe and his relations with
his assistant and cook Biscuter and his
lover/prostitute Charo. With a bit of melancholy and
images of
future nostalgias, Montalban on one side denounced the hipocrisy
of those who wanted to give Barcelona an image of pure progress,
by ignoring the persistent problems (such as poverty and
alienation), but on the other side he hoped the city wouldn't
get too "
normal", because the charm it has had for centuries
also resides in its promiscuity. The readers who are fond of Motalban understand the nature of this contrast. For those who
know that the cocktail bar Boadas was the scenery of
his stories, having a drink inside, in honor to their idol, is
inevitable.
Zafon's and
Idelfonso Marcones' Barcelona
In
the latest years, the literature often
described
Barcelona in different ages and contributed, if ever there was
any need for it, to increment its aura. Those who have read the
Cathedral of the sea by Ildefonso Falcones
can walk around the streets of the Born, imagining the
medieval town in the 14th century when the young Arnau
Estanyol lived among the fishermen of Ribera, or can taste
the anecdotes regarding the construction of the church Saint
Mary of the sea "La Catedral Del Mar". Son of a
servant who escaped from the Catalan capital, Arnau finds
shelter in Barcelona as well as the desired freedom that
nowadays still characterizes the spirit of this town. Another
incredible case in literature was the success of two
books written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The shadow of
the wind and The game of the angel, both set in the
Catalan metropolis in a very hard historical period for
Barcelona
and
Spain, the one that started from the beginning of the 20th
century until the end of the First World War, which was
characterized by several economic crisis and by the terrible
civil war.
The main character and narrating voice of "
The shadow
of the wind" was Daniel Sempere, accompanied by minor
characters such as Julian Carax, Fermín Romero de
Torres, who live in Barcelona's settings like Calle
Santa Ana, Arch of the Theatre, Plaza Real, Las
Ramblas, Plaza Sant Felip Neri or calle
Montcada where you can find Museo Picasso,
Borne's Market and the Ciutadela, Plaza de Catalunya,
the surroundings of the University and the Ensanche, the
ville de Sarriá, Pedralbes and the Tibidabo,
the cemeteries and modern palaces adorned by Gaudì's dragons.
Barrio Gotico was, and still would be, the ideal setting for a
history of suspense, love and literature. A gothic novel full of
coup de theatres whose theme is the world of books or, to be
more precise, the world of forgotten books. A morning in 1945
the owner of a small used books shop walks his 11-year old son
Daniel to the hearth of the old town of Barcelona, to the
Cemetery of forgotten books, a place where thousands of
books whose memory was canceled by time, are brought back into
life. Here the father invites his son, according to a family
tradition, to adopt one of the books and to promise to look
after it for his whole life. Daniel chooses "
The shadow of the
wind" of the unknown author Julian Carax, a book which will be
cursed for him, because it would change his life by bringing him
into a maze of intrigues and passions, with his town always in
the background. "
We live in a world of shadows, Daniel, and
fantasy is a rare good. That book taught me that literature can
make me live with more intensity, and this can give sight back
to me".
When to go to Barcellona
One
of the best periods of the year to visit Barcelona is
September
when, around the end of the month, they celebrate the festa
de La Merce, the main festivity in town: four days of music,
dances, foreworks, corridas, feasts and parades. The
pyrotechnical festival is held these days as well as the
festival of street shows (music, dance, art and theatre). Also,
you can see the Correfoc (race of fire), a swimming
competition around the port, and the famous challenges of
Castells, human towers that can reach a height of up to 9
floors.
For
those who love art and music, summer is the best period
to visit Barcelona. From June to the beginning of August it
hosts the Festival Grec, a stage for the latest trends
in art and music. The name of the festival derives from the
Greek anfitheatre that hosts it. Around the half of August, you
can see the Festa Major de Gràcia. In autumn, the International
Jazz Festival (from the end of October to the end of
November) brings jazz and blues all around the streets of the
city.
There are many opportunities for accommodation in Barcelona with
a good price/quality ratio: we suggest our young visitors the
hostel Center Ramblas: very central, well kept and
always crowded with young people from all over the world.
If
you're arriving to the town of Girona,
which is quite far away, consider the possibility to get a taxi
that brings you directly to the hostel or hotel.
We
hope we managed to give you some good hints for a travel to
Barcelona. Let us know how it went so you can help other people
for their future travels. Write us at info@informagiovani-italia.com
Have a nice time in
Barcelona!
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