The Rough Guide to Barcelona 8 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

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La Pedrera – “The Stone Quarry”, it was declared a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1984. Its hulking, rippled facade, curving around the street
corner in one smooth sweep, is said to have been inspired by the mountain of
Montserrat just outside Barcelona, while the apartments themselves, whose
balconies of tangled metal drip over the facade, resemble eroded cave dwellings.
Indeed, there’s not a straight line to be seen – hence the contemporary joke that
the new tenants would only be able to keep snakes as pets.The building, which
Gaudí himself described as “more luminous than light”, was his last secular
commission – and one of his best – but even here he was injecting religious
motifs and sculptures into the building until told to remove them. A sculpture
of theVirgin Mary was planned to complete the roof, but the building’s owners
demurred, having been alarmed by the anti-religious fervour of the “Tragic
Week” in Barcelona in 1909, when anarchist-sponsored rioting destroyed
churches and religious foundations. Gaudí, by now working full-time on the
Sagrada Família, was appalled, and determined in future to use his skills only for
religious purposes.
The self-guided visit (entrance on c/Provença, March–Oct 9am–8pm,
Nov–Feb daily 9am–6.30pm, closed first week Jan; T902 400 973, Wwww
; €8) includes a trip up to the extraordinary terrat (roof
terrace) to see at close quarters the enigmatic chimneys, as well as an informa-
tive exhibition about Gaudí’s work installed under the 270 curved brick arches
of the attic. El Pis (“the apartment”) on the building’s fourth floor re-creates
the design and style of a modernista-era bourgeois apartment in a series of
extraordinarily light rooms that flow seamlessly from one to another. The
apartment is filled with period furniture and effects, while the moulded door
and window frames, and even the brass door handles, all follow Gaudí’s sinuous
building design.
Casa Milà itself is still split into private apartments and is administered by the
Fundació Caixa de Catalunya.Through the grand main entrance of the building
you can access the Fundació’s first-floor exhibition hall (daily 10am–8pm;
free; W , which hosts temporary art shows of
works by major international artists.
Casa Ramon Casas: Vinçon
Right next to La Pedrera, in the same block on Passeig de Gràcia, the Casa
Ramon Casas (1899) was built for the wealthy Barcelona artist Ramon Casas
i Carbó (1866–1932). He had found early success in Paris with friends Santiago
Rusiñol and Miquel Utrillo, and the three of them were later involved in Els
Quatre Gats tavern, which Casas largely financed. In 1941, the Vinçon store
(Mon–Sat 10am–8.30pm; T 932 156 050, W ) was established
in the building, which emerged in the Sixties as the country’s pre-eminent
purveyor of furniture and design, a reputation today’s department store still
A night on the tiles
One of Barcelona’s most talked-about experiences is that known as La Pedrera de Nit
(late June & July only, Fri & Sat 9–11.30pm; €13), when you can enjoy Gaudí’s amazing
ceramic-tiled rooftop at La Pedrera by night. With the city lights as a backdrop, you
get a complimentary glass of cava and music from a mixed bunch of performers, from
flamenco to folk. Advance booking is essential, either on the day in person at the ticket
office or from TelEntrada (T 902 101 212, W .
THE EIXAMPLE
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Dreta de l’Eixample