Barcelona Sarrià

A visit to Sarrià is a pleasant way to see the traditional home of the Catalan bourgeois and a more suburban side of Barcelona. The upper part of Sarrià, closer to the Collserola hills, is the place to stroll and gawk at the lavish gated mansions and private schools, which include Gaudí’s Casa Bellesguard and Collegi de les Teresianes. If you’re looking to meander through here, but don’t want to sweat profusely, it’s probably a good idea to start from above at Ronda de Dalt and work your way down the steep hill that is Sarrià. The lower, older area of Sarrià is concentrated around the Plaça Sarrià, notable for the Neoclassical Sant Vicenç de Sarrià Church (1816). The front entrance of the church faces Calle Major de Sarrià, the area’s main street, which is full of restaurants and cafes. Pl. Sarrià also has an antique market during the summer on Tuesdays (9am-8pm) and a small used-book market on Fridays (9am-8pm). Once a year, on May 11, the small, shady Plaça Sant Vicenç off C. Major de Sarrià, hosts La Fira de Sant Ponç, a festival honoring the patron saint of herbalists and beekeepers; various medicinal plants, honey products, and cheeses are put out for the occasion.

Casa Bellesguard. Now a private home, Casa Bellesguard is closed to the public, but for true Gaudí fanatics, even a peek from the street is worthwhile. Built by Gaudí in 1902, Casa Bellesguard is one of the architect’s neo-Gothic designs and resembles something out of a medieval fairy tale. Tall and fairly compact, with one sculpture spire, Casa Bellesguard is adorned with metal grillwork, tiled benches resplendent with blue and red fish, and three Rapunzel-esque balconies. Note the starred, blue-and-white tiles that frame the window above the door. A stone staircase and landing to the left of the entrance gate provide a picturesque view of the building and the surrounding hills. (C. Bellesguard, 16-20. FCG: Sarrià or Av. Tibidabo. To access the house from above, head to Zona Universitaria. Then catch the #60 bus at Zona Universitària-Escola A E Empresarials (right next to the metro stop) and take it 7 stops to Benedetti-Ronda de Dalt. From Ronda de Dalt, walk down C. de Bellesguard. The walk is short and hassle-free, and the casa will be on your left. To access the house from below, take bus #14, 30, 66, 70, or 72 to Pg. Bonanova, then take C. Escoles Pies up the steep hill to where it dead-ends at C. Immaculada, and make a right. Walk for several long blocks until C. Immaculada dead-ends at C. Bellesguard and make a left up the hill; Casa Bellesguard is on your right.)

Collegi De Les Teresianes. The construction of this stately Neo-Gothic building, started by an unknown architect in 1888, was taken over by Gaudí the following year. The building now serves as a Catholic school. Gaudí designed a wing (to the right as you enter the gate), and though constrained by a low budget, he managed to create some innovative features. Legend has it that when Father Osso, the man who hired Gaudí to design the building, pressured the architect to restrain himself, Gaudí replied, “Let’s each stick to our own strength; I’ll make houses, and you write masses.” On the building’s facade, a row of repeating letters—JSH for Jesú Salvate Hombres (Jesus Saves Men)—adorns the space between two rows of windows. The arcs of the lower windows recall the shape of hands in prayer, and the pineapple shape that tops a tower on the left symbolizes strength. Though Gaudí was content to supervise most of the wing’s construction, he fashioned the iron gate himself, with repeating symbols of Saint Teresa. While these details can be appreciated from outside, it is the school’s main internal hallways and two skylights that are admired by architects worldwide for their perfect parabolic arches. (C. Ganduxer, 85-105. FGC: Bonanova. Bus #14, 16, 72, or 74. ☎932 12 33 54. Call in advance to schedule a tour, offered Sept.-June 10:30am-1pm. Free.)

Jardin De La Villa Amèlia. Sarrià boasts some of the most relaxing and well-manicured public spaces in the city. The 6-acre Jardins de la Villa Amèlia, designed by architect Joaquim Maria Casamor, provide families and mid-afternoon loungers with plenty of playgrounds and bench space. Palm trees and eucalyptus-lined paths radiate out from a central fountain, a few feet away from an unobtrusive chiringuito (small cafe). As you walk around the pond, note one particularly impressive eucalyptus, estimated to be 115 years old. (FGC: Sarrià. Walk down C. Cardenal Sentmenat, turn right on C. Dels Vergòs, and cross the Pl. d’Artos onto C. de Santa Amèlia. The parks are 4 blocks down. Open daily 10am-sunset.)

Jardin De La Villa Cecilia. Across the street from the Jardin de la Villa Amèlia is the 4-acre Jardin de la Villa Cecilia. Created by architects Jose Antonio Martinez Lapena and Elias Torres, the garden won a prize for its design. Jardin de la Villa Cecilia is built around a civic center—the Villa Cecilia—and boasts a multilevel canal, shrubbery, a basketball court, ping-pong tables, and a playground. As you walk into the park, note the 1964 sculpture by Francisco Lopez Hernandez; the surreal metal construction, Ophelia, appears to float in the canal. (FGC: Sarrià. Walk down C. Cardenal Sentmenat, turn right on C. Dels Vergòs, and cross the Pl. d’Artos onto C. de Santa Amèlia. The parks are 4 blocks down. Open daily 8am-sunset.)