Another of Gaudi's Modernista masterpieces, the Casa Batllo on the Passeig de Gracia is arguably the most eye-catching of the private houses he designed in his lifetime. As always Mother Nature was his Muse, and the facade is a surreal blend of coral-coloured tiles and marine motifs and a kind of exo-skeleton type pillar structure (you'll have to see it to see what we're on about!). Indeed the building quickly earned itself the nickname the 'house of bones'. The edifice is topped with an element of fantasy - a ridge-back roof that denotes the spine of the dragon killed by the Catalan Sant Jordi. The interior, once lived in by the aristocratic Batllo family, is also a delight to behold even if you have to pay a fair whack for the privilege - 17.5 euros. However that includes a rooftop visit and free audioguide (allow for about an hour) in one of 8 languages. The Casa Batllo is open 9am to 8pm everyday.
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