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Visiting La Pedrera?... extend your visit in the area with these ideas.

Posted by (Barcelona (Catalonia)) on

I was replying a query somewhere else and I thought this might also be of interest to those RS members visiting La Pedrera in Barcelona...

if you're in the area, there are four other houses which you might want to explore. In this case, though I'm afraid is only seeing the façades -and if you're lucky having a peek in the entrance- because they're private buildings, not for visiting. One is Casa Comalat in Diagonal, 442 a magnificent building by Salvador Valeri i Popurull. Don't forget to walk round to the street in the back of the building, Carrer Còrsega, to see a bit more); another one is Palau del Baró de Quadras, a 1906 modernist palace featuring ornate Gothic & Arabesque-inspired details, also in Diagonal, 373 (opposite to the previous place mentioned!); then the famous Casa Terradas -a.k.a. as Casa de les Punxes, or the House of Spikes, because of its pointed turrets- located in Diagonal 420. This one is partly visitable, more info here. and the third one is Casa Macaya in Passeig de Sant Joan, 108, another great work by famous Puig i Cadafalch. This one you can enter the ground floor and peek around.

Another interesting place that it's going to be open to the public next 16th is Casa Vicens, in the district of Gràcia, being the first house designed by Gaudí. I was lucky enough to be able to visit last Friday in a sort of preview but I must say I wasn't impressed. While I enjoyed the visit note that the house is small and, this being very personal, the overall style I didn't like as it's a mix of styles from different geographical places. One has to understand that Modernisme, much like Art Nouveau, has very different exponents and there are significant differences between the styles of this and that architect, say between Gaudí and Puig i Cadafalch for example. However, a key piece of this art and architectural movement was the "mix" different styles so one needs to expect a sort of "mess" when it comes to continuity, so to speak. In Catalan, we have a very particular word for this, which is not in the "formal" dictionaries: poti-poti (pronounced "poh-tee-poh-tee") meaning a bunch of unconnected things.

Anyhow, for those reeeally interested in Modernisme (hallo, Ann!) you might like to visit Casa Vicens as to understand the origins of Gaudí's works. I especially liked the intricate decorations in the main room (dining room) which resemble vines from nature. They're made of papier mâché and certainly bring it off to the untrained eye. Another interesting thing to pay attention to is the short 10' video on the second floor which explains the explosion of Modernism in the context of a city waking up from a long lethargy after her defeat to the Spanish invaders in the early 1700s.

If anything, something that might be putting off some people is the price of the ticket, which I believe it's going to be around 14-16€. To me, I humbly think it's too high "for the goods" in display, but again, that's me.

Enjoy!

PS: Actually, I was writing this with Ann in mind :)....

Posted by
27142 posts

Thank you, Enric! It would be worth it to me because I love all things modernism. Except Casa de les Punxes, which--unless it has changed since August 2016--has little inside except a kid-oriented audio/visual show. With my interests it was a waste of time and money.

I actually went to see the exterior of Casa Vicens last year. Unfortunately, the view was mostly blocked by scaffolding, etc. I'm glad to know that the opening is nigh.

Perhaps we should remind folks of the useful information on the Ruta del Modernisme website. I used their map and guidebook during my visit, and the book makes a nice souvenir. Although the RdM card confers only fairly minor discounts, it will pay for the map/book package if a visitor is planning to visit a lot of the modernist sites.

Posted by
2942 posts

Ah yes, and if you happen to be in the area any weekday before 6ish, a visit to La Nena for a hot silky Catalan-style chocolate where to dip some melindros is a must. It's important to be there before 5:30-6ish... or else you'll stumble across all the mummies and grannies taking their kids after school in a hellish noisy ambience, LOL! It's a stone-throw away from La Pedrera, not more than 20' on foot.

Some background: http://www.culinarybackstreets.com/barcelona/2012/la-nena/

Posted by
2942 posts

Also to point out that there's a small library in Avinguda Diagonal, 393, close to Passeig de Gràcia, where you can purchase a trove of Modernist-related books at affordable prices. This is the library store of the Diputació de Barcelona -a sort of County Authority, for my American friends- and, as it often happens with "public publishers" -those run by public government- they're both, little known and also on the cheap side because their aim is not necessarily making money but promoting culture. The place is a hole-in-the-wall with few books on display, but their large catalogue can be consulted online here. I do believe one can arrange the order to be picked up in the store. Equally, the City Hall has also its own store and you'll also find plenty of books about Modernism.

While most will obviously be in Catalan language only, there are also a few in Spanish and also in English. Note that many art and architecture books don't really show much text anyway, do they? and one can always use the Translator app in the phone to scan these scarce texts and have them automatically translated into English or any other language. One can find the most unimaginable subjects related to Modernism and art in general. As a token: Doors of Barcelona or Funeral carriages among many other "interesting" subjects.

Also, another interesting place to peruse and purchase inexpensive books about Barcelona, also on many subjects, is the Sala Ciutat bookstore next to the City Hall, in Carrer de la Ciutat, 2 and here is their website.

Just sayin'.

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