Perched on the Mediterranean, Barcelona is Spain’s second city (after Madrid). Seagoing trade made its La Ribera neighborhood the home of wealthy shippers and merchants. Maritime money built the Church of Santa Maria del Mar (“del Mar” means “of the sea”) and the grand mansions that still line the streets. The lively neighborhood is also known for its fantastic Picasso Museum, which showcases the work of Pablo Picasso’s early years, spent here in Barcelona.
The 14th-century Church of Santa Maria del Mar took just 55 years to build at a time when other cathedrals took a couple hundred years. Its harmonious style is considered pure Catalan Gothic, with an oceanic flourish here and there. (Barcelona is a capital of Catalan culture – a region proud of its once-repressed language and history.) Sixteenth-century sailors left models of their ships at the foot of the church’s altar to invoke Mary’s protection. Even today, a classic old Catalan ship remains at Mary’s feet.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), locals who were angry at Church authorities for siding with dictator Francisco Franco took out their wrath on the Church of Santa Maria, burning the wood furnishings and decor. Carbon still blackens the church’s ceiling. Today, the church has been stripped down, made naked in all its Gothic glory.
Unlike the cohesive Santa Maria del Mar, the Picasso Museum was not built – it was made. Five existing shippers’ mansions were laced together, creating a structure large enough to hold the works of this Spanish genius.
Picasso spent his formative years, from ages 14 to 21, in Barcelona, so it’s only fitting that this museum holds the best collection of his early works found anywhere. The genesis for the museum came from the artist’s personal secretary, who amassed a huge collection of his work and bequeathed it to the city of Barcelona. Picasso, happy to have a fine museum in the city of his youth, added to it throughout his life.
The Picasso Museum’s first few rooms feature the works of the preteen boy wonder. Other rooms display Picasso’s exploration of nature, including a period where he dabbled in Impressionism, unknown in Spain at the time.
Later, Picasso traveled to Madrid for further study. Finding the stuffy fine arts school he attended to be stifling, Pablo hung out in the Prado Museum and learned by copying the masters. The last rooms of the museum show Picasso on the brink of his dive into bohemia. In just a few short years, Picasso quit art school and fell in with the avant-garde crowd in pursuit of creative freedom.
| Patriotism takes a flamboyant turn in Barcelona, where sardana dances are held on weekends at the downtown cathedral. Locals of all ages seem to spontaneously appear. For some, it’s a highly symbolic, politically charged action representing Catalan unity. For most, it’s just a fun chance to kick up their heels. Participants gather in circles after putting their things in the center – symbolic of community and sharing (and the ever-present risk of theft). All are welcome, even tourists cursed with two left feet. Holding hands, dancers raise their arms in Zorba-the-Greek-style as they hop and sway gracefully to the band in a stirring display of local pride. |
Once you’ve toured Santa Maria and the Picasso Museum, do what the locals do – retire to a square nicknamed “El Born.” This neighborhood hangout is a popular springboard for fun restaurants and night spots buried in the narrow streets. Sit down at a tapas bar, get a plate of hot appetizers and a cold beer, and kick back after a day spent discovering La Ribera.
Rick Steves of Edmonds (425-771-8303, www.ricksteves.com) is the author of 30 European travel guidebooks including “Europe Through the Back Door” (published by Avalon) and is the host of the public television series “Rick Steves’ Europe,” airing at 7 p.m. on KCTS.
This week’s schedule:
Monday: Berlin
Tuesday: Germany’s romantic Rhine
Wednesday: Munich
Thursday: Switzerland’s Jungfrau region
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