With the plazas there are always preferences. You stay with those in your neighborhood or you venture out in search of other esplanades of cobblestones, terraces, benches and groves. We open casting of squares. Choose your favourite.
Secrets of Sarria
little paradises
When you discover the little paradise of Sant Gaieta square, you feel like making a silent pact with the place. This hidden square in the interstices of Sarrià it remains splendid thanks to the intimate treatment of a neighbor, who carefully takes care of her vegetable repertoire. The ten low houses that surround the square are samples of the popular architecture of Sarrià from the 18th century. Its inhabitants have created a small oasis full of potsherds, vases and vines. Countless leaves and flowers sparkle in this great secret show. The red tiles of the square do not allow benches or terraces: there is hardly any room left among the fantastic display of ficus, geraniums, cyclamens and lemon trees.
Something bigger and busier, the cozy Sant Vicenç square seek a similar peace. Here the sun always falls kindly. The faint shadows of the trees and the staircase that raises the square give it an unreal air. Crowning the central fountain, the stone statue of Sant Vicenç continues to watch as advertisements are shot and pictures are painted around it.
The charm of the Born
holy squares
Access the platform on which the Sant Agustí Vell square it is like surrendering to a glorious spell. Everything seems beautiful if we lie down on the terrace of the Restaurant Joanet: the green awning of the bar and its wooden door, the triple fountain topped with lampposts that divides the passage, the arched branches forming a forest of reflections, and the views to the medieval arcades that make you think of the old convent of Sant Agustí, located right where you now have a coffee.
the nearby Sant Pere Square it also follows the trail of medieval Barcelona. The contrast between the walls of the church, which show traces of the thousand changes that this temple has undergone, and the wrought iron of the modernist fountain designed by Pere Falqués in 1893, is startling. The rest is a charming asphalt slope.
gothic multiverse
amazing trip
Deep in the Gòtic throbs a strange little square that follows an old wall. With its lopsided arrangement around the circular tower that defended a Roman fortification dedicated to resisting barbarian invasions in the 4th century, the Traginers Square turns any conversation into a ball, and gets the most distracted to stop.
Instead, in the much-favorite King’s Square it is the gargoyles who are watching you. You try to shut your mouth while you lose yourself in the contemplation of this confluence of monumental Gothic and Renaissance buildings. You are overwhelmed by the plain of slabs and the proximity of the Cathedralfeel the temptation to visit the Barcelona History Museum And not even then do you stop listening to the dissonant stony laugh that those stone monsters dedicate to you from above.
Luckily, you find refuge in the incomparable Sant Felip Neri square. In this small square sheltered from the noise, the memories of the bombings of the civil war are far away. The gaze is absorbed in the green tiles of its octagonal fountain and in every detail of its baroque church, including shrapnel marks. Tourists are divided between its screens and ancient facades, while conversations echo with the enchanting reverb of a latent stillness.
The arcaded Sagrera
The importance of a shadow
The arches that cover the terraces of the massada square They are ideal for when you need a healthy morning and a long conversation between tapas, preferably with a bit of shade and in a different neighborhood. La Sagrera is not Gràcia, but precisely for this reason it is worth exploring its streets and its people. If you feel like a nomadic vampire, you can escape from the sun in this peculiar square of arcade built at the end of the 19th century in the heart of the neighbourhood. The old covered market was dismantled in the nineties. With the first vermouth you see that there are still children capable of playing with a ball or in the fountain, instead of pouring over a mobile. The light is changing on the arcaded square and you decide to plate yourself watching paellas go by right and left. It is so comfortable, that it can give you the third coffee while you fix the world with your colleagues.
stealthy poblenou
seafaring roots
After a busy day at the office, surrender to the tranquility that emanates from the prim square It is a unique award. This meek location used to be the fishermen meeting point and workers from the neighborhood in the mid-nineteenth century. It still preserves the low houses typical of the old fishing districts, and one of the best fish restaurants in the city (Els Pescadors). But without a doubt its greatest treasure is the thick and deformed roots of those bellasombra trees, which stand out with natural magnificence from the river of concentric tiles.
High Poble Sec
terraces with views
You have to cross Blai street with your eyes closed, dodge hills and cross your fingers a lot to find a seat on a terrace of the Sortidor Square. When you do, it’s hard to leave this little oasis of Poble Sec, always buzzing with life thanks to its many bars and restaurants. Ah: it is important not to confuse the replica of the Canaletas fountain with the real fountain that gave the square its name. The large ornamental fountain that was placed in 1874 has long flown. If there is no room in the Sortidor, you can always seek shelter in the most humble Santa Madrona Square.
Les Corts extensions
exquisite eclecticism
The Concordia square enlarges the lungs first. Finding its spaciousness in the middle of the corridor of streets through the center of Les Corts draws an instinctive smile. It seems like the ideal place to wait for an appointment, or start with charcoal pencil and watercolors. Models are not lacking: smiling faces on each terrace, old shops, the immense and harmonious Remei church and the bohemian Civic Center Can Deu (at number 13), located in a sublime modernist estate. Whether or not you are right with the strokes, here you only have to enjoy your peace of mind or that long-awaited date: the afternoon can only turn for the better.
family garden
the eternal town
The Ibiza square It is the eternal square. This imperturbable sample of village life continues to bring together the residents of Horta with the charm of its terraces, the occasional activities and markets, plus its imperturbable family harmony. From one side of this irregular recreational space, the sculpture that evokes an Ibizan peasant woman, installed in 1965, observes the passing of the years. Generations grow and die out, while bravas and the ice creams They keep spilling over the tables.
Openings of Sants
wide is your chair
The wind hisses away the pollen that falls from the banana trees. The pigeons follow the circles of dust absentmindedly. Someone orders another at the next table. In the oscar square the display of terraces is generous like few others. Metal furniture camp spreads out in the sun in this open space. While you drink the fifth or shake the last drops of Espinaler on your chips, you can attend a brawl from balcony to balcony, compare the chromatic varieties in the mosaic of foreign dermis or dedicate yourself to greeting charming dogs.
Gràcia and the Farró
Continuity of places
We know them by heart, and we always come back to them. The squares of Gràcia hardly keep any secrets anymore, but they treasure a thousand stories. There will be those who prefer to sing the verse on the steps of the church of the Virreina Squareand whoever is captivated by the choral chorus of the Rovira square. The fact is that music is always familiar and comforting, especially in the charismatic Vila de Gracia square, site of historical episodes, such as the Revolt of the Quintas in 1870. Its mythical octagonal bell tower presides over family lunches as well as football matches or latero nights. Recently, it even served as the setting for the filming of an apocalyptic movie. The compass of Gracien squares goes on and on: Raspall squarethat of Norththat of Sun, which gave the title to a fabulous novel by Mercè Rodoreda. I propose to focus on an eternal forgotten, the threshing square. This haven of benches and palm trees next to the crowd of Gran de Gràcia serves as a bridge to the neighboring district of Farró. The Farró is something else. Look for accommodation in the coquette Mané i Flaquer Square or her sister, Sant Joaquim Squareand you tell me.
The Classic Clot
neighborhood beats
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The winding pedestrian promenade that leads to the Clot market it gives rise to two adjoining squares that beat in unison. The Font i Sague square It greets us with the hubbub of squeaky chairs and the greeting of determined waiters carrying powerful coffees and polished croissants. The murmur of the terraces contrasts with the comforting presence of the classic Clot Quiosk. Sometimes the life of the neighborhood can save the day. The continuum of shops and banks and banana trees and faces leads to market squarewhere it is easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of people at the entrance to the market, and sigh for those times when life was as simple as a loaf of bread.