Through the old cafés of Barcelona

In Barcelona, as in many other major European cities, cafés have had a prominent presence over the last few centuries. They have been meeting places for social gatherings, political speeches, business, debates on sporting results, and also for a wide range of cultural and social events and activities. The historical research journalist Paco Villar, in his book La ciudad de los cafés (1750-1850), explains that the first café in Barcelona was opened in 1750 by the Italian Andrea Caponata next to the Teatre de la Santa Creu on the Rambla. However, other historians, such as Albert Garcia Espuche, have found references to cafés in the city even earlier, dating from the early 18th century. To find out much more about the history of these establishments, sign up for the guided tour organised by the Casa Elizalde Cultural Centre, the Ateneu Fort Pienc Civic Centre, the Urgell Civic Centre and the Casa Golferichs Civic Centre, which proposes a journey through the history of some of the largest and most luxurious cafés the city has ever had. The route is called Els antics cafès de Barcelona, and will take place on Saturday 18 February, starting at 10 am. Registration must be made in advance at the organising centres.

The tour will take about three hours and will be guided by Maria Nunes, a graduate in Catalan Philology from the University of Barcelona, professor of Catalan language and literature in secondary education, and a specialist in the design and guidance of literary routes of Catalan works and authors. The route she proposes is evocative and literary, as the journey through the history of the cafés is accompanied by the reading of texts by writers and journalists about them.

More information aquí.