The home of the industrialist chocolatier Antoni Amatller is one of the greatest examples of the Catalan modernist architecture and one of the few that still have the ornamental richness of this style promoted by the bourgeoisie. Located on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona, it is the work of the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch who was commissioned to remodel the building, acquired by the industrialist, from head to foot.
The Casa Amatller stands out for the composition of the façade and for the restructuring and redecoration of the ground floor and the main floor, a reflection of the originality of the modernista architecture and decorative arts. The façade is a colourful composition that incorporates sgraffito on a white base, ochre and red ochre, glazed tiles, green woodwork, black wrought iron and grey stone from Montjuïc. In addition, there is unique sculptural decoration, notable for the relief of St. George and the Dragon, designed by Eusebi Arnau. The tiered gable at the top of the façade is reminiscent of the classic shape of a tablet of chocolate and is one of the most characteristic features of the building. Inside, one must admire the antique furniture, the columns, the floor, the ceilings and the lamps, original decoration of the residence.
Currently, the Casa Amatller is home to the Amatller Institute of Hispanic Art. It has about 400 objects of Roman, Medieval, Baroque and Modernista periods. But above all it is noted for its documentary resources. It maintains a large photo library specialising in Hispanic art, with about 350,000 items illustrating and cataloguing the works of art. Its consultation is essential for any researcher in the history of the art.
"A great mountain of pure salt that grows as it is extracted." This is how, according to Aulus Gel·li Cató described, in the second century, one of the most important potassium salt mines in the world, located in Cardona. It is a depression of land shaped like an elongated ellipse with an area of 100 hectares and containing unique natural and geological features. It has been exploited as an open mine since the Neolithic era, and from 1900 to 1990 through extraction, following the discovery of potassium salts by the engineer Emili Viader i Solé.
"La Muntanya de Sal de Cardona" (the Salt Mountain of Cardona) is now a cultural and tourist centre dedicated to promoting the importance of the geological site and its utility for man through the centuries.
The museum area is an open space that explains the geology, mineralogy and botany of the "Vall Salina de Cardona" (Salt Valley of Cardona), included since 1992 in the Plan for Areas of Natural Interest in Catalonia.
You can also learn about the history of the exploitation of salt throughout the centuries. Entering the old mining pit, you can see a unique piece of industrial archaeology: salt extraction machinery designed and built during the 1920s.
The Passió d'Olesa de Montserrat (the Passion of Olesa de Montserrat), one of the most popular and biggest in Catalonia along with that in Esparraguera, has a predominantly religious origin: the Parish Archive of Olesa preserves the oldest document that mentions the event in an inventory from 1530.
However, since its inception the theatrical performance has always had an urban, civic and popular character. That is why the Church tried to control it during various periods, first moving the presentation inside the temple, and later prohibiting it.
Finally, from 1847 onwards, the show was performed in different locations (the Teatre Principal, the Teatre del Círcol, the Teatre Olesa and the Gran Teatre de la Passió), with the only break brought about by the Civil War. Currently, and since 1987, the modern Teatre de la Passió d’Olesa, a large building, has been the venue for these performances.
Hundreds of Olesans, including nearly 500 extras, selflessly participate every year in the theatrical representation of the Passion, which usually takes place at the weekend in March and April. In 1996 it achieved the world record by simultaneously gathering 729 actors on stage.
The Passió d’Esparraguera (the Passion of Esparraguera) is a great theatrical spectacle capable of conveying the essence of characters from two thousand years ago to nearly 15,000 spectators each year. It shares the honour of being one of the most important Passions in Catalonia with that of Olesa de Montserrat.
This performance is possible thanks to the participation of all the people of Esparraguera. There are a huge number of actors and extras who take part, plus those who work backstage and the members of the orchestra and the choir. In total, close to a thousand people work in the Teatre de la Passió, the setting for this show since 1969.
The result of all this effort is a dozen performances that are noted for their dramatic and technical complexity, with rapid changes of stage sets and special effects.
The first reports of the performance of the Passió d’Esparreguera date back to the beginning of the 17th century. It is a theatrical evolution of the mysteries, dramatic representations of medieval origin. However, the current version of the Passió d’Esparreguera is the one written by the local poet Ramon Torruella in 1960, while the original music is by Josep Borràs. The structure has been maintained, with 4 acts and up to 35 scenes.
Montserrat is a symbol for Catalonia and a point of pilgrimage for believers. The main attraction is the Mare de Déu (the mother of God), the patron saint of Catalonia. This Romanesque Virgin is popularly known as La Moreneta, due to the colour of the face and hands, darkened by the smoke of lighted candles.
The monastery was founded in 1025 on the orders of the Abbot Oliba, on top of a small chapel that Guifré el Pilós had donated to the Monastery of Ripoll.
The visit to Montserrat starts at the 16th-century basilica with Romanesque remains and a Gothic structure. Starting from here, the Plaça de Santa Maria, the epicentre, you can go over the whole complex, thanks to the great 19th-century renovation led by Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
Unmissable is the Museum of Montserrat. Its collection began with the materials of the biblical East brought back from his travels by Father Buenaventura Ubach. Since then, the collection has expanded with outstanding works from painters such as Caravaggio, Rusiñol, Casas, Nonell, Picasso, Monet, Sisley, Degas, Pissarro and Dali.
The museum being here is no coincidence. From the 17th century, Montserrat has been a cultural centre of the highest order as demonstrated by the exceptional library with more than 250,000 volumes from the monastery. Notable among the suggested activities is as visit to the Escolania, which is one of the oldest boys' choir schools in Europe, documented since the 14th century.
Near the Abbey, the neighbouring Monestir de Santa Cecília, is still preserved, which currently functions as the Sean Scully Art Space. Notable as well is the Romanesque church, also renovated in the 1930s by Puig i Cadafalch. Few know that this monastery was Abat Oliba’s first choice to extend his domains to Montserrat, but met with refusal of the community.
The Basílica Expiatòria de la Sagrada Família (Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Sagrada Familia) is one of the most remarkable examples of Catalan ‘modernisme’ (Art Nouveau) and has become a symbol of Barcelona. Undoubtedly it is the unfinished monument that attracts most visitors in the world. Moreover, Antoni Gaudí poured all his efforts and knowledge into the project right up until his death, although he only saw completion of the crypt, the apse and the façade of the Nativity with one of the bell towers. Together, these areas were declared World Heritage Site in 2005.
Construction of the Sagrada Familia began in 1882 with the crypt located under the apse, according to a preliminary neo-Gothic design. When the commission was handed over to Gaudí, he completely changed the design and adapted the project to his naturalist ideals. One of the treasures of the crypt is the Roman-style mosaics on the floor. Another feature that cannot be missed is the framed altarpiece dedicated to the Holy Family by the sculptor Josep Llimona. And it is precisely in this intimate and mystic setting that Antoni Gaudí is buried, specifically in the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Once the crypt and apse were finished, Gaudí started on a more ambitious and complex project based on detailed symbolism and great formal construction innovations based on the parabolic arch. This led to the Nativity façade. According to Gaudí: "If instead of creating this decorated, ornate and bombastic façade, I had begun with the Passion, hard, bare and bone-like; people would have expressed disapproval". Thus he turned the façade into a detailed stone book relating the episodes of Jesus’s childhood.
After Gaudí’s death, the building went through decades of slow evolution. With the revival of interest in the work of Gaudí, the number of visitors has greatly increased in recent years and construction work on the temple has advanced quickly, following the models and notes left by the master. The interior of the nave of the church is a new attraction and it is hoped that in 2026 the building of Gaudí’s dreams will be completed.
The group comprising the Theatre-Museum with the dome and the Torre Galatea (with its façade decorated with manequins, eggs and loaves of crusty bread) is the most emblematic icon of Figueres’ urban landscape.The building itself is considered to be the world's largest surrealist object. But, at the same time, in its interior it houses many masterpieces by Salvador Dalí.
The Theatre-Museum, built on the remains of the former Figueres Theatre, was designed and planned by Dalí himself as his great personal project. Its collection of paintings enables the visitor to go on an artistic tour, starting with the painter’s early work (The Smiling Venus and Port Alguer). Besides this and most importantly, the Museum covers the explosion of surrealism with emblematic works such as the Spectre of Sex-Appeal, Leda Atomica, The Basket of Bread and Galatea of the Spheres.
Also of particular interest is a set of works that Dalí created specifically for his own Museum, such as the Mae West Room, the Wind Palace gallery, the Rainy Cadillac and the painting Gala Nude Watching the Sea which at 18 metres distance appears as President Lincoln.
In 1988 the Loggias Room exhibition area was added, showing the later work of Salvador Dalí, based on scientific experimentation and the study of classical painting.
The Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres together with the Castell Gala Dalí de Púbol and the Casa-Museu Salvador Dalí in Portlligat, make up the Dalí triangle of Empordà which enables visitors to immerse themselves in the life and work of one of Catalonia’s most international painters.
In the middle of Montjuïc, in Barcelona, under the shade of the trees, the white volumes of the Fundació Joan Miró do not go unnoticed. In its interior, it holds more than 14,000 pieces by the surrealist painter, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics and tapestries. One of the most important aspects of the Fundació is that it preserves nearly all Joan Miró’s preparatory sketches, with more than 8,000 drawings, invaluable material for understanding the work of the artist.
The collection was originally created with a donation from Joan Miró himself and has since grown with donations from family, friends and collectors.
Through the Foundation’s collection, you can take a journey through the artistic life of Miró. Starting with his early paintings with their clear influence of Impressionism, Fauvism and French Cubism (Chapel of Sant Joan d'Horta and Portrait of a Young Girl). Progressing on to his fully surrealist phase (The Bottle of Wine) and his well-known collages (Homage to Prats). And ending with his works on the Civil War (Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement) and his paintings of the constellations.
But the museum is not only notable for the work it houses but also for its architectural and museological concepts. Miró wanted to open a foundation that would look to the future, that would not become a temple of collectors' objects but rather a place of discovery and debate. And with this objective, he asked the architect Josep Lluís Sert to construct a building with its own personality. The result is a piece of architecture that serves as the perfect showcase for the work of the artist.
A former fisherman's hut in Portlligat, Salvador Dalí moved here in 1930 and continued to work here until 1982. Since its initial construction, the painter began acquiring other similar huts and, over forty years, defined what would be the home as it is today, considered by some as "a true biological structure".
The building, designed by Dalí and Gala, is a labyrinthine structure organised around the so-called "Saló de l'Óssa" (Hall of the Bear). From this central area, the home spreads out through a succession of small rooms connected by corridors, small level changes and culs-de-sac. The rooms have windows of different shapes and sizes but with one common denominator: they frame the Portlligat bay, a place that is a recurring theme in Dalí's work.
The home, which the writer Josep Pla described as "surprising, extraordinary and never seen before" was a refuge where Dalí led "a life of asceticism and isolation" after living for many years in Paris.
In 1982, after Gala's death, Dalí did not return to Portlligat. With the painter's death (1989), in 1994 the house became a small museum areaadapted by the architects Oriol Clos i Costa and José Ramos Illán. Together with the Castell Gala Dalí de Púbol and the Teatre-Museu Dalí in Figueres, make up the Dalí triangle of Empordà
