Gracia Review

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Gràcia

Fodor's Review:

As well as a neighborhood, Gràcia is a state of mind, a virtual village republic that has periodically risen in rebellion against city, state, and country. The street names (Llibertat, Fraternitat, Progrès, Venus) reveal the ideological history of this nucleus of working-class sentiment. Barcelona's first collectivized manufacturing operations (i.e., factories) were clustered here—a dangerous precedent, as workers organized into radical groups ranging from anarchists to feminists to esperantists. Once an outlying town, Gràcia joined Barcelona only under duress and attempted to secede from the Spanish state in 1856, 1870, 1873, and 1909. Lying above the Diagonal from Carrer de Córsega up to Park Güell, this jumble of streets is filled with appealing bars and restaurants, movie theaters, and outdoor cafés, usually thronged by hip couples. The August Festa Major fills the streets with the rank-and-file residents of this lively yet intimate little pocket of resistance to Organized Life.

Make your next stop the produce market Mercat de la Llibertat, an uptown Boqueria, then cut east along Cisne, cross Gran de Gràcia, and pass another Berenguer creation on Ros de Olano, the Mudejar-style Centre Moral Instructiu de Gràcia. Plaça del Sol, one of Gràcia's most popular squares, is downhill. From here, continue east to Gràcia's other market, the Mercat de la Revolució. Walk three blocks back over to Grácia's main square, Plaça Rius i Taulet, with its emblematic clock tower. From Plaça Rius i Taulet, cut out to Gran de Gràcia for a look at some more Art Nouveau buildings by Berenguer (Nos. 15, 23, 35, 49, 51, 61, and 77). For lunch, consider Galician seafood at Botafumeiro or Basque fare at Ipar Txoko just below Plaça Rius i Taulet.

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