Antoni Gaudí. The genius in Catalonia

People tend to associate the brilliant architect with Barcelona, but his artistic trail covers many other territories in Catalonia.

23 Km from Barcelona is Santa Coloma de Cervelló, the town that is home to the magnificent Colonia Güell, one of the most avant-garde industrial communities from the 19th century and one of the greatest exponents of the genius that was Gaudí.

Here, we find the Cripta, the church was commissioned to Antoni Gaudí, who made a design with two naves, side towers and a dome 40 metres high. The essence of this crypt is that Gaudí used it as his starting point for architectural innovations which he then used for the priceless Sagrada Familia such as, for example, the catenary arches, exterior walls and vaults with parabolic hyperbolic shapes.

Getting further into Catalonia, in la Pobla de Lillet, in the region of Berguedà, are the Gaudi Artigas Gardens; these gardens, which cross the Llobregat river, have lush natural vegetation, where Gaudí felt very at home.

There he executed imaginative solutions on the bridges, the artificial cave and La Glorieta which he then used as inspiration for the rest of his works, with a clear natural accent in the form of columns shaped like tree trunks, leaves in the capitals and spirals inspired by animals, to name just a few examples.

Reus, the birthplace of Antoni Gaudí
Reus, the birthplace of Gaudí, shows visitors places related with the modernist genius, such as the house he was born in and the interesting Gaudí Centre, an interpretation centre to learn more about the work and the life of the most international person from Reus in a sensorial and participative way.