Antoni Gaudí, the celebrated mushroom munching, mansion making artisan architect, favourite adopted son of Barcelona, whose crazy creations have launched a thousand easyJets.
Gaudi is of course known worldwide for his showboating tour de force works Casa Milà and Casa Batlló in Barcelona city centre, the semi finished sprawling chill out odyssey that is Parc Güell and the still unfinished sky fingering Sagrada Família. All are worth a visit and are easy to find, just follow any passing swarm of camera happy Japanese tourists.
It is easy to get the impression that Gaudi was a one trick pony, but the headline grabbers distract attention from a prolific career that includes everything from the ornate hexagonal paving stones of Passeig de Gràcia and the lampposts in Plaça Reial to major buildings including Casa de los Botines in León, Spain and Casa Calvet in Barcelona.
Eagle-eyed architecture buffs will spot many, Gaudi buildings dotted around Barcelona, distinctive yes, but not quite as spectacular as his landmark later works. There is one work, a forgotten masterpiece, which is worth going out of your way for a looksee.
Casa Vicens, a startling red brick house on Carrer de les Carolines in Gracia. It is an incongruous explosion of colour in an otherwise drab little street, Moorish in style and built in brick, topped off with galleries, turrets and rows of coloured tiles.
The bad news, that it remains a private residence, so you cannot go for a gawp around the inside. The good news is that is for sale; so if you have a spare €27 million euro lying about and you need a pad in Barcelona contact the estate agents Altadicion.
It has been on the market for a while now, and what with the economy and all that I reckon there might be a little room for negotiation. Try 20 mill in cash and I reckon you might get a bite.
Wonderful. I had no idea Barcelona contained so many interesting things!
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