Casa Mila
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Works Of Antoni Gaudi, Inscribed 1984), Gaudi'S Last Private Commission, Built 1906 To 1912 On The Passeig De Gracia And Nicknamed La Pedrera, The Quarry · Barcelona, Catalonia
Gaudi's last private commission and the one the neighbours hated, which is where the nickname came from: La Pedrera means the quarry, and it was an insult. The front is a cliff of wavy limestone with wrought-iron balconies that look like seaweed dragged up onto it, and there is no load-bearing wall anywhere in the building, which is why the plan is free and the windows are enormous. It caused a permit dispute because a column encroached on the pavement and the city ordered it cut; Gaudi refused and it is still there. Two things justify the ticket. The attic under the roof is a run of over two hundred parabolic brick arches, now an exhibition on how he worked, and it is the clearest explanation of his structural thinking anywhere. Then the roof terrace, a landscape of warrior-helmet chimney stacks and vents on a rolling surface, which is the most photographed roof in Barcelona and is better at the end of the day.
Passeig de Gracia 92, Barcelona, Catalonia, 08008, Spain
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: open daily on TIMED ENTRY SLOTS with SEPARATE SUMMER AND WINTER SCHEDULES and last admission before closing. NIGHT SESSIONS run as separate ticketed evening events year-round. THE ROOF TERRACE CLOSES IN HIGH WIND AND RAIN, sometimes at short notice, and it is the main reason to visit, so a wet forecast matters here more than at most museums. The facade outside is public and lit at night. Confirm the roof status.