Gaudi and the modernist Barcelona
(Refs 9A and 9B)

Barcelona is a Mediterranean city with more than 2000 years of history, but it became particularly famous thanks to Antoni Gaudi's architecture.
At the second half of the 19th century the city decided to expand its limits to host new inhabitants that arrived to the city to work in the new industries that were created thanks to the industrial revolution.
Two new social classes emerged from this new age, the workers and the bourgeoisie, both social groups needing new spaces where to live. The bourgeoisie was dreaming about reaching the social level of the traditional nobility, and the best way to achieve this objective was becoming as visible as possible, such living in fancy modern residences.
Antoni Gaudi and other contemporary architects contributed to accomplish their wishes designing beautiful new residences marked by the fashionable style that dominated in the international panorama: modern-style, art nouveau, liberty, modernism. New materials, mix of traditional styles, colourful decoration and nature as main source of inspiration where the main elements of this art style that penetrated in Barcelona powerfully at the end of the 19th century.
Our tour will take us to the most elegant boulevard of Barcelona, Passeig de Gracia, where we will admire 2 of Gaudi's most famous works: Batlló House and Milá House, besides two other modernist works designed by other outstanding architects, contemporary of Gaudí: Ametller house by Puig i Cadafalch and Lleo Morera house by Domenech i Montaner.
We will continue towards La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's most important masterpiece, a catholic temple still under construction and nowadays the most visited monument of Spain. We will tell with all sorts of details about this ambitious project and how this colossal Basilica with a very special symbolism and significance for Barcelonans is being raised thanks to the visitor's contribution mainly.
Our tour will take us to the north of the city to visit another Gaud's jewel, Park Guell, a 'frustrated' gated community that became a public park with a very colorful monumental area that was declared World Heritage site by the UNESCO on 1987.
On our way to Park Guell we will admire another impressive modernist masterpiece, Saint Paul's Hospital (Hospital de Sant Pau) by Domenech i Montaner, also a World Heritage site protected by the UNESCO.
The tour includes the interior visit of 2 Gaudi's works of your choice: Sagrada Familia, Batlló House, Mila House or Park Guell.

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