If there is an art movement linked to Barcelona, it is Modernisme. As a symbol of flamboyance and modernity for the bourgeoisie of that time, we still have many examples of this aesthetic revolution that emphasised curved shapes and highlighted the importance of detail and craftsmanship.

Barcelona is the cradle of this avant-garde art. Furthermore, in the different regions of Barcelona and very close to the city, there are also great gems that have largely gone unnoticed, perhaps because they are not on Passeig de Gràcia. If you have not visited them yet, you should do so as soon as possible.

L’Espai Rural de Gallecs, al terme de Mollet del Vallès, és un parèntesi enmig d’una zona totalment urbana; un oasi de tranquil·litat per al modern i actiu Vallès. Aquí, la preservació de la natura i l’agricultura tradicional s’uneixen a la pràctica del lleure i les activitats d’educació ambiental.

Following in the footsteps of Bishop Oliba a thousand years after his appointment as Bishop of Vic has encouraged us to explore other Romanesque gems in the area surrounding Barcelona, because there’s always some secret left to discover. If we had a protractor, the city of Vic would be at the centre of its base, just a few kilometres from places where Romanesque heritage blends into beautiful nature.

The Cardener Ecorail is a seven-kilometre route along old railways that have been adapted to modern times without losing their essence. Throughout the week, these tracks are used to transport the salt extracted from the mines in Súria and, on Sundays, they take families keen to discover the Bages Plain aboard a highly original means of locomotion: the Ciclorail.

Anar de compres per les comarques de Barcelona és un gran plaer que t'hauries de permetre. Terra endins o vora el mar, són molts els pobles i les ciutats que tenen botigues centenàries on l'elegància n'és la protagonista, comerços d'alimentació regentats per mestres artesans ben sibarites, farmàcies decorades amb mobiliari modernista, i locals de moda i complements on les creacions dels dissenyadors locals conviuen amb les marques internacionals més exclusives. Et proposem cinc destinacions de 'shopping' imprescindibles.

At the beginning of the last century, Art Nouveau was all the rage in Paris: wavy facades, floral motifs on signs, wrought-iron staircases ... This new aesthetic depicted modern city life and had a huge impact in Catalonia. However, when the winds of Art Nouveau blew across the Pyrenees, Catalan architects reinterpreted it in their own way. This is what we know as Catalan Modernisme.