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church is dark and rather plain, enlivened only by tiny arrow-slit windows and
small stained-glass circles high up in the central dome.
Mercat de Sant Antoni
The Raval’s western edge is defined by the Ronda de Sant Pau and the Ronda
de Sant Antoni, and where the two meet stands the handsome
Mercat de Sant
Antoni
(Mon–Thurs & Sat 7am–2.30pm & 5.30–8.30pm, Fri 7am–8.30pm;
o
Sant Antoni), the neighbourhood’s major produce market, dating from 1876.
It makes a pointed contrast to the Boqueria – there are not nearly so many
tourists, for a start – and unlike the other city markets, it’s surrounded by
enclosed aisles packed with stalls selling cheap shoes, underwear, T-shirts,
children’s clothes, bed linen, towels and other household goods. Come on
Sunday and there’s a
book and coin market
(9am–2pm) here instead, with
collectors and enthusiasts arriving early to pick through the best bargains.
Most of Barcelona’s old markets are being revamped, as the nineteenth-century
engineering starts to fail, and Sant Antoni is no exception: it is to be remodelled
entirely by 2012, though its external character will be retained and a temporary
market installed on Ronda de Sant Antoni while works continue.The book and
coin market will continue in the vicinity too. Meanwhile, the traditional place
to take a break from shopping is
ElsTresTombs,
the restaurant-bar across the road
on the corner of Ronda de Sant Antoni, open from 6am until late for a good-
natured mix of market traders, locals, students and tourists.
EL RAVAL
|
Mercat de Sant Antoni