City visit of the district of L'Eixample in Barcelona

The Casa Calvet, built as a dwelling and offices for the textile manufacturer Pere Calvet, is the first and least imaginative of the three houses Gaudi designed for Barcelona's Eixample (Extension). the interest of the Casa Calvet centres on the imaginative resolution of the rear façade, the decoration of the hallway, and the design of the furniture, purely organic and breaking with everything before it. What most calls attention on the façade are the symbolic elements. Over the door, the owner's initial, C; and supporting the main gallery, a cypress, symbol of hospitality. On the main storey, the relieves represent mushrooms, because Pere Calvet was a mycologist. Above the gallery, the horn of plenty. The three heads of the crown represent Saint Peter the martyr (Pere Calvet's patron), Saint Genesius of Arles and Saint Genesius of Rome, patrons of Vilassar, in el Maresme, where the family came from.

Passeig de Gràcia was from the beginning designed to be Barcelona's Grand Avenue. It is Barcelona's most elegant avenue and one of the best architectural walks in the city with lots of Modernist buildings, many of which house fine shops (jewelry, fashion, gifts) at street level. The quality and quantity of modernist buildings is unrivalled. It's origins can be traced back to Roman times when it was a path that linked to the Via Augusta. In medieval times the city's door to this road was the Portal dels Orbs (blind people's gate), today the Portal del Angel pedestrian shopping area.

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The Music Museum of Barcelona located in an astonishing construction of architect Puig y Cadafalch. Significant collection of guitars among other rare instruments.

Next to the Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila or " La Pedrera" as it is often called, is probably Gaudi's second most popular building in Barcelona. Casa Mila covers an area of more than 100 square meters and includes two large circular patios, so that almost every part of the house gets its share of sunlight. It is constructed entirely in natural stones, and lacking all the colors and ornamentation design. Maybe one of the most interesting places of the whole complex is the rooftop: Here you can find a large ensemble of surrealistic chimneys all looking different and like sculptures standing there alone or in small groups, dominating the rooftop.

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Casa Mila (La Pedrera) Video by Barcelona.com

Casa Lleo Morera. Tel : 93 488 01 39. Mondays to Saturdays from 10h to 19h. Sundays from 10h to 14h.

Casa Batllo. Tel : 93 21 03 06. All days from 9h to 20h.

Casa Amatller. Can not be visited.

Manzana de la Discordia (Apple of discord) is a contemporary pun playing with the word "manzana " meaning at the same time "block of houses" and apple. In the same block of buildings, the three most important architects of the moment: Puig I cadafalch, Domènech I Montaner and Gaudi. Three palaces, three different styles and three different architects is the result of our big pleasure today.

The Tapies foundation was created by the Catalan painter Antoni Tapies in 1984 to promote the study and understanding of modern art and culture. Of course you will find works from all periods of the artistic development of Antoni Tapies. You will appreciate the beautiful library devoted to modern literature and documentation on the art and artists of our century. The foundation is housed in a building by the modernista Architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. The roof terrace alone is worth a visit.

On both sides of this avenue there is a Modernist urban development from the beginning of this century, which was created by the chemist Dr. Andreu. There are some very interesting villas by several different architects. The so-called "Tramvia Blau" (blue tram) goes up this avenue and is the only one of its kind left in Spain. There is a magnificent view over Barcelona.

Gaudi's patron, Eusebi Guell, planned a suburban "city." His property was high above Barcelona, northwest and some distance from the city. More than 60 housing plots were allocated although only two homes were built on the property. The project was radical for its time and, as a real estate project, was a failure. The Barcelona City Council bought the property in 1922 and in the following year converted it to a municipal park.

Gaudi avoided levelling the grounds so that the Park Guell has a network of twisting roads which follow the contours of the land.

The lowest point is the entrance, from which a double staircase leads to the hypostyle chamber, the ceiling of which serves as the floor of the huge public square.
Outlying areas have imaginative viaducts and colonnades, which in their design evoke natural forms.

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