In the heart of Barcelona (1)

On the train which was taking me from Vilanova to Barcelona (just a 40 minutes journey) for my first visit to this amazing city, I was recalling all the things my friends and acquaintances had told me before leaving. Apart for the typical "Are you going to stay near Barcelona?! Wow... ", inevitably followed by a look full of envy, and maybe admiration. Not to mention the obvious "You must go to the Camp Nou and see a match" by the male friends and the similar recommendation by the female ones, "Bring me something from the Desigual shop and go and see the Ramblas! ". I do not want to seem unfair, so I must add that there were more serious suggestions and advice, but I think the ones I have just quoted sum up quite well the average idea which Italian people have of Barcelona.

For some reason I cannot explain, the capital of Catalonia appears to be especially fascinating for my fellow countrymen. As I have experienced, if you say you are going to visit an European capital, say, for example, Lisbon, people will congratulate to you; however, if you say you are going to Barcelona, they will really stare at you in amazement. Be it for the books of the Italian author Fabio Volo, narrating is bohemian life in a flat on the Ramblas, or for the special aura of freedom and entertainment that it seems to have, at the eyes of my compatriots Barcelona is the coolest destination for a trip (it now occurs to me that when I was at school most of my classmates were always pestering the teachers to obtain a school trip to Catalonia, but to no avail).

Anyway, the plan for my first encounter with this city of magic was to spend the day visiting the centre, as I thought there were enough things to be seen there. I was quite right, in point of fact. Stepping down from the train at the Passeig de Gracia station, not without having a last look at my trusty guide, I set out for the sightseeing tour.

If you start your visit from the mentioned point, you don't have to wait much time before finding the first treasure: just down the corner, 200 metres from the station, is Casa Batllò. This gem is one of the masterpiece of the genius of Antonì Gaudì, the architect who decisively contributed to create the myth of Barcelona by projecting and realizing, between the end of the 19th centuries and the beginning of the 20th, a series of wonderful buildings and a unique artistic style, which has been defined "Modernism". Next to Casa Battlò, stands with equal pride the almost equally fascinating Casa Amattler, projected by another famous architect, Puig i Cadafalch. It is worth stopping in contemplation at least a few minutes, in order to appreciate the peculiarities of both buildings, but also the contrast between two different interpretations of Modernism, which quietly coexist literally... side by side. Personally I could not stop taking photos, and it was with some reluctance that I resumed my walk along Passeig de Gracia.

This broad and elegant avenue is one of the main roads of the city, heading from the central and crowded Plaza de Catalunya to the quiet and elegant district of Gracia, making its way through the Eixample, the area in which most of the Modernist buildings are found. Advancing towards Plaza de Catalunya, it is important not to miss on your right Casa Lleò Morera, the third Modernist masterpiece edifice in the block called "Manzana della Discordia" (the name is a pun, being a reference to the mythical "Apple of the Discord", as the word "manzana" both means "apple" and "block" in Spanish). Though less spectacular than the other ones, it is certainly worth a minute of your time.

Reaching Plaza de Catalunya, I had to witness the sad view of two Chinese tourists having themselves photographed in front of the huge Apple Store. Far from bearing any grudge either to the Chinese tourists or to the Apple, I could not help but think that I had very different plans.

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