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Sant Pere, La Ribera
and Ciutadella
T
he Barri Gòtic is bordered on its eastern side byVia Laietana, which was
cut through the old town from north to south at the beginning of the
twentieth century. Across it lie the two easternmost old-town neigh-
bourhoods of Sant Pere and La Ribera, often thought of as one, but each
with a very distinct character, while flanking La Ribera is the green lung of
Parc de la Ciutadella.
The medieval
barri
of
Sant Pere
is perhaps the least visited part of the old
town, but it has two remarkable buildings, the
modernista
concert hall known as
the
Palau de la Música Catalana
and the stylishly designed neighbourhood
market, the
Mercat Santa Caterina
. The area around the market has seen a
fair amount of regeneration in recent years, as new boulevards and squares are
opened up, and a slew of cool bars and restaurants has emerged, some of them
destinations in their own right.
By way of contrast, the old artisans’ quarter of
La Ribera
, to the south – lying
across c/de la Princesa – has always been a big draw, by virtue of the presence
of the graceful church of
Santa María del Mar
, the city’s most perfect expres-
sion of the Catalan-Gothic style, and the
Museu Picasso
, Barcelona’s biggest
single tourist attraction.The
barri
’s cramped, narrow streets were at the heart of
medieval industry and commerce, and the neighbourhood is still a centre of
creativity, the location of choice for many contemporary designers, craftspeople
and artists. Meanwhile La Ribera is at its most hip in the area around the
Passeig del Born
, whose cafés, restaurants and bars make it one of the city’s
premier nightlife centres.
For time out from the old town’s historic intrigues and labyrinthine alleys,
retreat to the city’s favourite park, the
Parc de la Ciutadella
, on the eastern
edge of La Ribera. It holds a full set of attractions, from greenhouses to
museums, but on lazy summer days there’s little incentive to do any more
than stroll the shady garden paths and pilot rowboats across the placid
ornamental lake.
Palau de la Música Catalana
Stumble upon
modernista
architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner’s stupendous
Palau de la Música Catalana
(
o
Urquinaona) from narrow c/Sant Pere Més
Alt and it barely seems to have enough space to breathe.The concert hall was
4
SANT PERE, LA RIBERA AND CIUTADELLA
|
Palau de la Música Catalana