La Ribera - Discover Barcelona: Experience the Best of Barcelona - page 229

La Caixa - a blue star with a yellow circle above a red circle - was designed by Joan Miró
and symbolizes a person dropping a coin into a piggy bank.
Palau de la Música Catalana
Around the corner you'll find the extravagant Palau de la Música Catalana ( Click here
), designed by Domènech i Montaner in the early 1900s. Sculptures of mythic figures (like
flag-holding St George, a patron saint of Catalonia) and famous composers as well as or-
dinary Catalan citizens adorn the facade. To see the theatre, come back for a guided tour
or an evening concert.
Mercat de Santa Caterina
Make your way through the narrow lanes of La Ribera, passing by the Antic Theatre
(Carrer de Verdaguer i Callís 12) with its pleasant courtyard cafe. The next stop is the
Mercat de Santa Caterina ( Click here ) , a modern version of a 19th-century market. In
addition to a bounty of meats, fish, cheeses, olives and eateries, the market holds the re-
mains of a 15th-century monastery.
Capella d'en Marcús
At the corner of Carrer dels Corders and the northern end of the street, just beyond the
19th-century Carrer de la Princesa, stands a Romanesque chapel , originally built in the
12th century. The Capella d'en Marcús once served as a wayfarers' stop on the road
northeast out of medieval Barcelona.
Carrer de Montacada
During the Middle Ages Carrer de Montacada was the city's most stylish address for the
merchant classes. The bulk of the great mansions remaining today date to the 14th and
15th centuries, and several have been converted into major museums, like the Museu Pi-
casso ( Click here ) . By night, the baroque courtyard of the medieval Palau de Dalmases
at number 20 hosts live music.