Few artists have epitomised a time and a place quite like Antoni Gaudí. Born at a time of rapid and accelerating change, this quiet, rheumatic young boy from rural Catalonia was to grow up to become one of the most innovative minds in architecture. Nowhere is his influence more keenly felt than the region’s capital, which boasts some of the master’s most iconic and groundbreaking works. Join us to find out what made Gaudí such a unique figure in the history of modern arts and how he helped to shape the city we live in today.
With our e-bikes fully charged and ready to go, we’ll wind our way through the medieval alleyways of El Born and discover why this disctrict has played such a key role in the formation of the modern Catalan identity and howa young Gaudí contributed the neighbourhood’s modern face. We’ll then ramble through the fin-de-siècle charm of the Parc de la Ciutadella(Park of the Citadel) to see how Gaudí and his contemporaries got involved in Spain’s first World’s Fair. Heading through thePort Olímpic (Olympic Port), you’ll get to see the impressive legacy of the ‘92 games before drifting along the shores of the Mediterranean and up the sleepy rambla of Poblenou.
From there, we’ll head through the city’s Eixample neighbourhood to arrive at Gaudí’s magnum opus, La Sagrada Família, where your guide will reveal some of this iconic building’s many secrets and give you some time to explore at your leisure. Our penultimate stop will be the controversial Casa Milà(betterknown to locals as La Pedrera)whose influence stretches beyond the mediterrean all the way to Hollywood.
