On our very first day on our very first walk in Barcelona, my daughter Liz and I happened upon Casa Milà, a famed apartment house designed by Modernista Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926).

Seeing one’s first Gaudi structure is startling, in all the best ways.  Gaudi was sui generis, an artist so unique that upon his graduation from architecture school, the director remarked that he could not tell if they were giving the title to a genius or a madman.

Gaudi was fascinated with the natural world and his work reflected his veneration of nature as well as his love of color and his devotion to religion. His credo was “Nothing is art if it does not come from nature.”  He also said, “The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God.”  And I wish you luck if you attempt to find straight lines in Casa Milà.

Although it is often crowded on weekends, we were fortunate enough to visit when it was possible to take our time to appreciate this unique structure.  With your 28-euro ticket an informative audio guide is included.  It took us about two hours to see the entire building, but we could have stayed longer.

Casa Milà is also known as La Pedrera (the quarry) because of its unique façade. Stonemasons carved the waves into the limestone that forms the outside of the building with strict supervision from Gaudi.     

The Milà Family lived in a spacious apartment on the first floor and rented out other apartments in the building.  Tours now include rooms in the Milà apartment, which is also fascinating because Gaudi designed the interiors and furnishings as well and held strong opinions about them. 

He wrote, “The dining room and the living room must be adjacent, with the former being more important than the latter as friends will be invited to dine and there can be no private party that doesn’t include a meal.”

The apartment is grand but just as interesting is the attic which has a series of arches that resemble the ribs of an animal.  

None of the 270 arches in the attic are the same.  From there one walks up and out onto the roof, which is a very busy place. It is filled with four domes, six skylights and 28 chimneys and offers a 360-degree view of Barcelona.  It is also possible to visit the rooftop at night.

Casa Milà was a wonderful introduction to the unique work of Antoni Gaudi, and we were to visit his greatest creation the next day—Sagrada Familia basilica.  Our Gaudi tour was underway!