A Touch of Italy in the Heart of Barcelona

Posted by Catalunya Casas on April 22nd, 2017

You may be staying in a Spain holiday rental, you may be eating Spanish cuisine, and you may be looking out over some of the most famous Spanish landmarks.But there’s actually a part of Barcelona that has a definite Italian feel: Plaça d'Espanya. This large, sprawling plaza is a place where two cultures meet.

The Venetian Towers

If you stand in the Plaça d'Espanya, looking towards Montjuïc, you’ll see two looming towers, which are known as Barcelona’s Venetian Towers. At 47 metres high, you can even see these towers from the nearby shops, parks, and Barcelona holiday rentals. Why are they called the Venetian Towers? Because they’re modelled after Venice’s famous bell tower: St Mark’s Campanile, which stands in the Piazza San Marco. Designed by Ramon Reventós and built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, the towers are today one of the most popular city centre attractions for those enjoying a holiday in Spain.In keeping with the Italian feel of the area, there’s also a few Italian restaurants dotted around the plaza, where you can enjoy a taste of Italy without having to travel too far from your Barcelona holiday rental.

Visiting the Towers

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to step foot inside the towers, even though there are dedicated viewing platforms at the top. In fact, the towers have only opened to the public once since the International Exposition; a two day ‘open house’ to celebrate the Barcelona Architecture Festival in 2014. However, it’s still worth making the trip from your Barcelona villa to see the towers, and enjoy everything else that Plaça d'Espanya has to offer, such as the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and the Magic Fountain, which really comes alive after sun down with a sound and light show that’s not to be missed.