Modernism in private: benches and streetlights, Casa Malagrida, and the Sagrada Família

A private tour of modernist Barcelona with a local guide, taking a close look at what most people pass by. The tour starts outside the center of Plaça de Catalunya, the border between the old city and the Eixample. Here, you'll learn about how Barcelona grew and see the impacts of the Spanish Civil War that are still visible on the facades. Next, Passeig de Gràcia: the street where the Catalan bourgeoisie of the turn of the century displayed their wealth, with palaces in different styles and an open competition between architects. You'll stop at the "bancs-fanals," the modernist streetlights that have been there for over a century and that almost no one looks at, the Casa Lleó i Morera by Domènech i Montaner, and the Casa Amatller by Puig i Cadafalch, whose interior courtyard can be entered without paying. You'll also see the Casa Malagrida, which belonged to a tobacco industrialist who made his fortune in Argentina, and whose story is told on the facade itself. The final stop is the Sagrada Família, with half an hour dedicated to viewing its facades from the street. The guide can be identified by a blue umbrella with a bat on it.