The Gothic Quarter, (Barri Gotic) dates back more than 2000 years and contains the influences of its many inhabitants. It was here that the young artist Pablo Ruiz y Picasso began his career as an artist. As you walk the labyrinth of streets with your professional guide, they will give you an in-depth view into the world of the young artist.
Departing from the Plaça Catalunya, you will see the Els Quatre Gats. In 1897 it was opened as a café by an artist. It soon became a meeting place for other artists who came to drink, discuss art, literary and music. The walls featured an ever changing show of local artists work including one of the first one-man shows by Picasso, who often frequented the café. The original café closed in the early 1900s and was reopened in the 1980s under the same name.
On the Collegi d'Arquitectes de Barcelon, home to the architects association, you will see a series of sand-cast friezes around the façade, designed by Picasso. The Sala Pares is a historic gallery that opened in the mid-19th century. It was the place where many new Catalan artists were given the opportunity to show their works in a professional venue for the first time. One of these artists was Picasso. On the nearby Calle Escudellers Blancs, Picasso had a studio where he created some of his paintings from his Blue Period. Along the Carrer Avinyo, a typical old town street, Picasso found the inspiration for his famous Las Señoritas de Aviòûn. Along the way, you will also see where Picasso had his first studio in 1896.
The Porxos d'en Xifré residential block was built in the 1840s for a wealthy Catalan who had made his fortune in South America. When Pablo's family first moved to Barcelona in 1895, they lived in one of the flats. The young Picasso painted some of his first city landscapes from the roof of this building. Several of them are on display at the Museu Picasso. The league of Catalan Sea Traders built a center in the 1380s. In 1771 it became the home of Barcelona's stock exchange. It remained the stock exchange until 1994. From 1849 until 1970, it also housed the Barcelona School of Fine Arts whose alumni include Picasso and Joan Miro, who grew up in Barcelona.
La Ribera, which means 'the shore' in Catalan, is an area that was an upscale neighborhood during the 13th & 15th centuries when it was located by the sea shore. A later landfill project connected it to a nearby island eliminating its seaside location. Many of the buildings in the area are from the late medieval times. Five adjoining medieval palaces were put together to create the Museu Picasso, which has one of the most extensive collections of artwork by Pablo Picasso. Your professional guide will expedite your entrance into the museum and give you an orientation tour of the museum. At this point, your formal tour ends, but you are free to remain and explore the museum on your own.
Please note: Your tour departs from and returns to the Plaça Catalunya area. The plaça is the city center and the place where the old city (Gothic Quarter and Raval) and the 19th century-built Eixample meet. Some of the city's most important streets and avenues meet in Plaça Catalunya: Passeig de Gracia, La Rambla, Portal de l'Angel and Ronda Universitat.
