Leslie Livingston 
Palau de la Musica Catalana is one of Barcelona’s most beautiful spaces. In fact, it’s my favorite Modernist interior in the city. The palace is full of visual mischief and whimsy both inside and out. The dense ornamentation — glossy mosaics, stained glass, kaleidoscopic skylight, and sculptures — will take your breath away. The over-the-top … Read more
One of Gaudi’s early masterpieces is just off La Rambla. But without the sign pointing the way, you might not even know it’s there! Eusebi Güell (pronoucned g-WAY), Gaudi’s chief patron, commissioned the building in the 1880s. It was Gaudi’s first big project. The palace is quite different and less flashy than Gaudi’s later, and … Read more
La Pedrera, also known as Casa Mila, is the fantastical creation of Antoni Gaudi, one of Spains’ greatest architects. Famous for its undulating stone facade and twisting wrought iron balconies, the structure is a masterpiece of early 20th century architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between 1906-12, La Pedrera is one of two … Read more
Casa Batlló is a Modernist gem in Barcelona. It’s Antoni Gaudí at his hallucinatory, dreamlike best. For Casa Batlló, Gaudí conjured a building in the image of a dragon. The strange bone-like facade commands your attention. It’s studded with skull mask balconies and capped by a sinuously scaled roof with a solitary sword-like tower. Casa … Read more
The word “cathedral” is typically associated with grand churches built in the Middle Ages. When I mentioned to a guide that I was going to visit Almudena Cathedral, she sniffed and said it “was five minutes old.” Forewarned with this information, I nonetheless visited. It wasn’t like seeing Toledo Cathedral, of course. But I thought … Read more
Italy has seen a record number of tourists this spring, setting the stage for an even busier summer than usual. The Vatican Museums are overwhelming with over 30,000 visitors each day. At the Uffizi Gallery, the crowds are so massive that visitors often leave within minutes of entering. Piazza San Marco is overflowing. Popular restaurants … Read more
Planning a visit to Madrid’s Royal Palace? I’m not that much of a palace person, but it is dressed to impress. The interiors are nearly as sumptuous as Versailles and Schönbrunn. And almost all the 18th century Baroque and Rococo decor and furnishings are original. On top of that, there’s some artworks by Tiepolo and … Read more
Opened in 1986, the Reina Sofia Museum is famously home to Picasso’s masterpiece — Guernica. It’s a must visit in Madrid just to see this powerful painting and the photos and preparatory sketches displayed with it. The Reina Sofia specializes in modern and contemporary art. Its permanent collection of 20th and 21st century art is … Read more
I know this is a heresy, but if I could only visit one museum in Madrid, it would be the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It holds the exceptional collection of Baron Heinrich Thyssen and his son Hans — jet-setters, old money aristocrats, and billionaire industrialists. Hans once announced “I’d love to stop collecting — it costs so … Read more
You can’t go to Toledo and not stop into the Church of Santo Tomé! The church itself isn’t very interesting. But it’s home to the masterpiece of Spain’s greatest Renaissance painter, El Greco — The Burial of Count Orgaz. It’s a gorgeous painting created at the height of El Greco’s artistic powers. Art historians consider … Read more