One hundred and thirty-two years have passed since the first stone of the Sagrada Familia was laid... and the work is still not finished. It may be finished in 2026, the centenary of the death of Antonio Gaudi, who drew up the extravagant plans and devoted the last twelve years of his life to it. All arches and volutes, this gospel of stone and light topped by hyperbolic bell towers is a concentration of technique and spirituality, a stunning synthesis of the genius of its builder, the leader of Catalan modernism. Only the crypt, the Sant Barnabé tower and the Nativity façade of this colossal basilica were completed during Gaudi's lifetime, even though he had set up his studio and bed on the site in a vain attempt to defy time.
Today, nine of the eighteen towers originally planned stand tall against the Barcelona sky, and the central nave, an extraordinary forest of tree-like columns, has been cleared of its scaffolding. Outside, the cranes are still at work. But the materials used are no longer the same, contemporary architects are freely interpreting the master's design and the recently added elements are not necessarily very harmonious. For example, the Passion façade, adorned with austere, hand-carved sculptures by Josep Maria Subirachs, is at odds with Gaudi's naturalist spirit.
Is it possible, without betraying it, to translate an ideal of transcendence that is more than a century old? The fact remains that the Sagrada Familia, the symbol of Barcelona, is the most visited monument in Spain, with three million visitors last year. An opportunity for business tourism groups: it is now possible to plan a private visit outside opening hours. A real privilege.
1 - So close so far from certain stations Sitges has retained the charm that has made the seaside town a chic meeting point on Barcelona's outskirts since the 1930s.
2 - On the road from Barcelona to Tarragona, The small town of Altafulla has preserved the shady streets of a medieval quarter, backed by a castle whose first foundations date back to 1059.
3 - Joan Miro's paintings is a reflection of Catalonia: sunny, dreamlike and free. Born in Barcelona, the artist drew inspiration from his time spent at Mas Miro, the family farm in Mont-roig del Camp.
Art in motion
A local version of Art Nouveau, Catalan Modernisme was largely supported by the bourgeoisie, who saw it as a way of expressing their regional identity. There are a few examples of this revolutionary movement in old Barcelona, but it was above all in the Eixample district that it flourished. Built in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the city needed to expand outside its medieval walls, this district of narrow streets is brightened up by dozens of dreamlike facades, debauches of polychrome ceramics, wrought iron and stucco fireplaces.
1 and 2 - Barcelona, make yourself beautiful": This desire has continued to enliven the Catalan capital since it hosted the Olympic Games in 1992. Its port area, transformed for the occasion, is dotted with works of art such as La Parella, "the couple", by Chilean artist Lautaro Diaz, and Roy Lichtenstein's monumental pop art statue, El cap de Barcelona, "the head of Barcelona".
3 - The La Ribera district and its medieval streets is home to a trendy enclave, El Born, centred around its covered market, which has been converted into a private cultural centre.
4 - By opening Els 4 Gats in 1897, Pere Romeu drew his inspiration for "les quatre chats" from the Chat Noir in Paris, where he had worked. It is not the soul of Aristide Bruant that fills this tavern, which was rebuilt in 1978, but that of Picasso, who had his first exhibitions there as a young man.
Common sense and excess
UNESCO has included nine of Barcelona's modernist buildings on its World Heritage List. Seven of them were designed by the extravagant Gaudi and two by Lluis Domenech i Montaner, whose work includes the Hospital de Sant Pau, conceived as a garden city dedicated to healing body and soul. Now restored, it plays host to hand-picked events in its pavilions, where Art Nouveau unfolds in all its fantasy. Barcelona is full of opportunities to combine art and relaxation, with cocktails on the roof terrace of the sublime Casa Battlo, a jazz session on the roof terrace of La Pedrera or a concert at the fabulous Palau de la Musica just some of the popular options for corporate events. Another modernist venue is the Els 4 Gats tavern, where the avant-garde of the early twentieth century used to meet, and where you can plan a tapas evening, known here as pintxos.
Jean Nouvel's Torre Agbar stands not far from the great crossroads of Catalan glory. The French architect claims to have been inspired by the organic architecture of Gaudi for his monumental cylindrical skyscraper, reminiscent of the pinnacles of the Sagrada Familia. Fair enough. Above all, it reflects the energy of a city in perpetual change, a blend of "seny", common sense, and "rauxa", excess. In 1992, the organisation of the Olympic Games led to the creation of a new district overlooking the sea and the regeneration of some of the medieval city's lesser-known areas. "Barcelona posa't guapa", "Barcelona fais-toi belle", was the slogan in vogue at the time.
The city reinvents itself as major events unfold. In 2004, the Forum of Cultures initiated the development of Diagonal Mar and, in the space of ten years, this once sinister stretch of seafront has been transformed into a thriving business centre.
In the meantime, the industrial wastelands of nearby Poblenou, renamed @22, have become a techno epicentre. And tomorrow, a canopy will hang over the Place des Gloires Catalanes, currently undergoing major works. With a corporate group interested in urban planning issues, don't hesitate to plan a guided walk with a specialist.
Everywhere, the recycled past is creating new synergies. In the heart of the Raval, long a district for bad boys and sailors' daughters and now a very fashionable area, a Gothic chapel has been incorporated into MACBA, the contemporary art museum designed by Richard Meier. Not far away, the historic Moritz brasserie, renovated by a Jean Nouvel who has certainly made a name for himself in the city, is home to a Michelin-starred design restaurant. On the other side of the Rambla, the 19th-century metal structures of the El Born covered market house a new cultural centre. And, of course, the whole area can be made private for a contemporary evening.
A rebellious spirit
And then there's the street, rebellious, libertarian, bustling day and night. For foreigners passing through, despite the crisis, the Catalan metropolis shines with all its Mediterranean splendour: "The French love Barcelona. For business tourism, it's Spain's number one destination.says Susana Casado Garcia, director of About Events. They come for two, three or four days to enjoy state-of-the-art facilities and an exceptional lifestyle. On the other hand, in the minds of most groups, Catalonia is Barcelona. That's all there is to it. Sitges, a chic and festive seaside resort just 45 minutes away, can be an attractive getaway with regatta races and a seafood lunch on the menu. Beyond that, it's more complicated. However, those who take the plunge come back thrilled by this 'other' Catalonia, less glamorous but more authentic.
Tarragona. Just saying the name conjures up visions of industrial estates and endless suburbs. In fact, they do exist. But you have to get past them to reach its medieval quarter, perched on a hill surrounded by Cyclopean walls. Ancient Tarraco was one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire, and there is an impressive concentration of remains from that glorious period, the most important after Rome. And, as in Rome, most of them are integrated into the urban landscape. The tiers of the circus appear at the turn of an alleyway; a lone column in the market square preserves the memory of a pagan temple... Magical. Overlooking a maze of small, steep streets, an imposing Romanesque cathedral keeps watch over this popular old town. With its food shops, craft stalls and little pintxo bars, a stroll through the town is a delightful experience. Even in the main square, where you can sit on a terrace at the happy hour of the paseo, a modest fishmonger's still holds out...
Along with Antonio Gaudi, Lluis Domenech i Montaner is the other leading light of Catalan modernism. The Palau de la Musica catalana, his masterpiece, sums up the architectural ambitions of this Art Nouveau movement. As the high point of a cultural visit, its different spaces, and even the concert hall, can be made private.
1 and 2 - Strategic promontory, In Roman times, Tarragona was the political and commercial centre of conquered Hispania. So it's hardly surprising that today the city boasts the greatest number of Roman remains after the Italian capital! But Tarragona also has a charming medieval quarter around a cathedral dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.
The "estaladas", the Catalan flags, fly from every window. It happens all the time. This time it's even more so, as it's in anticipation of the National Assembly of Catalonia, an association campaigning for the organisation of a referendum on independence, rejected by Madrid, and which is due to meet in the city the following day. The Tarragona bullring, which has been converted into a conference centre and auditorium since bullfighting was banned in the region in 2010, is the venue for the separatist gathering. Like them, groups can gather in this unique venue, which has just been opened to tourist visits.
The birthplace of Gaudi, Reus has a rich Art Nouveau heritage, including the Pere Mata Institute, a psychiatric hospital designed by Domenech i Montaner.
The Tarragona region's regional marketing people are keen to diversify their tourist offer, which cannot be reduced to the beaches of the Costa Daurada. Pau Casals and Antonio Gaudi are local sons and daughters, Barcelona's Joan Miro was born painting in Mont-roig del Camp and Pablo Picasso 'invented' Cubism in Horta de Sant Joan, a village in the Ebro Highlands. Why not follow in their footsteps? Let's take the "geniuses' landscape route", through vineyards and olive groves. The first stop is El Vendrell, home of Pau Casals. On the beach at Sant Salvador, the great cellist's summer villa has been converted into a museum. In this bourgeois interior, the Civil War is recounted against a backdrop of marvellously performed Bach suites.
Casals went into exile after the fall of the Spanish Republic and refused all his life to play in countries that had not condemned Franco's regime. The meeting with this convinced pacifist is a moving experience, perfectly suited to the groups, between the music room with its fine acoustics and the pretty gardens overlooking the sea.
Crazy talents
A few kilometres further south, Reus was the birthplace of Gaudi. But it was Domenech i Montaner who brought modernism to the town with the construction of the Institut Pere Mata, Spain's first psychiatric hospital. It is still in use today, and only the pavilion for the "distinguished", the rich, is open to the public. This Art Nouveau jewel attracted the interest of the city's shopkeepers, who demanded houses in the same style. From then on, with 26 listed buildings, Reus can boast the most important Modernista heritage after Barcelona. As for Gaudi, he can be found in the high-tech museum dedicated to him. Here you can find out more about the man, an introverted child who became a genius with a bad temper, but also about his sources of inspiration through a luminous confrontation of Mediterranean landscapes and architectural details. Remarkably educational interactive models also reveal the secrets behind his works. As everywhere else, all you have to do to visit the museum is knock on the right door.
Just a short motorway journey away is Mont-roig del Camp, where a young, depressed Miro arrived one fine day in 1911. It was here that he began to paint, here that he spent every summer of his life. The grateful village pays tribute to him with a small ethnographic museum housed in the old church. Reproductions of his early paintings are displayed alongside everyday objects from the paintings: a wheelbarrow, a basket of carob beans, a carbide lamp, etc. We learn that the mosaic on Barcelona's Ramblas is a tribute to the carpets of coloured wood shavings that used to decorate the streets of Mont-roig on the day of the patron saint's day, and that it was the criss-cross stakes used to support tomato plants that gave rise to the famous stars.
Near Tarragona, Mas Boella, a skilfully restored 12th-century residence, is surrounded by gardens and olive groves, which produce a highly reputed oil. The site includes a convention centre and an exclusive boutique hotel.
In reaction to modernism, Other Catalan architects have turned to the past to create the Noucentista style, influenced by the Italian Renaissance. The Maricel palace in Sitges, built from 1910 onwards, is a case in point.
Picasso, Horta period
Without any pretence whatsoever, the Miro centre tells the story of one man's relationship with a land, but also with its people. A keen sportsman, the artist used to run to the sea every morning to do gymnastics. The peasants were amazed: "He runs on his own along the paths. What's more, when he gets to the beach, he starts moving his arms and legs without stopping.". The anecdote, which is delicious, is also a formidable sociological marker. Later, Franco's Guardia Civil suspected the gymnast of sending signals to a boat offshore... It would be hilarious if the era hadn't been so dark.
"Everything I know, I learned in Horta"Picasso liked to repeat. Horta de Ebro," he said, to distinguish it from a district of Barcelona. The exact name is Horta de Sant Joan, a small village nestling at the foot of the Els Port massif, at the end of a road that winds between hills and orchards planted with almond trees, vines and olive trees under an immense sky. Picasso spent the summer of his seventeenth year there, at the invitation of a friend. The splendour of nature was a revelation for the young city-dweller. Ten years later, he returned to Horta with Fernande Olivier. It was during this second stay that he produced his first Cubist canvases, dictated by the detuned shape of the Santa Barbara mountain, which he soon mixed with portraits of his companion.
A Picasso centre, opened in 1992 in a former 16th-century hospital, exhibits facsimiles of works painted in Horta or inspired by the place. As in Montroig, the modest means used go straight to the heart. "The Picasso Museum in Barcelona has agreed to bequeath some of the originals to us, but we need to secure the premises and that's very expensive. The crisis has brought the project to a standstill"says the centre's caretaker fatalistically. Will the "geniuses' landscape route" have the merit of bringing a patron here? That's all we hope for Horta, as we head back to Barcelona, whose museums are so rich that many of his paintings never leave the storerooms.
The "catedrals del vi", modernism in the countryside
1 - Tarragona Cathedral (detail). 2 - On the road the "landscape of geniuses", towns with shady streets and the gentle Mediterranean way of life.
3 - On wine building cathedrals: the modernists Martinell i Brunet and Domenech i Roura populated the region with monumental cooperative cellars.
The cooperative movement that developed at the end of the 19th century in the Camp de Tarragona region more or less coincided with the arrival of "modernity", running water and electricity in the countryside. It was the cooperatives that built these extraordinary oil-mill cellars of modernist architecture, which the Catalan poet Angel Guimera dubbed the "cathedrals of wine". The Pinell de Brai cellar is a model of its kind, built by the architect Martinell i Brunet, a disciple of Gaudi. Incorporating the latest technologies of the time, it is a majestic building with a basilica floor plan, very high ceilings and a monumental façade. Damaged during the Civil War and listed in 2001, the cellar has just been renovated and is now open to visitors. With an exhibition of machine tools and wine and olive oil tastings, it's an exciting place to explore. Two brothers are behind this ambitious project. One of them, who oversees the restaurant menu, worked with Alain Ducasse and won a star for his inventive cuisine at the Villa Retiro hotel (see opposite). As for the young people's white wine production, it has been noted by Parker. www.catedraldelvi
