This picturesque city on the Mediterranean coast is located just 160 kilometres from France. Imbued with the spirit of creativity and freedom Barcelona was founded on the site of a small Celtic settlement under the name of the Roman colony Patricia Barsine. It was the capital of the Catalan-Aragonese Confederation whose power in the 15th century spread out up to Naples and Athens. Although today Catalonia is a part of larger country, the local traditions and culture are unique and distinctive. For example, Catalonia has its own language called Catalan and while it can be easily mistaken that Catalans dance flamenco they actually dance sardana. Catalans also consider the activity of bullfighting to be vulgar. This region is most proud of the many geniuses born here. Among them are Salvador Dali, Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miro and Montserrat Caballe. This classic, traditional Catalan culture is perfectly juxtaposed to the modern and contemporary Barcelona flare thanks to the renovations from the 1992 Olympics, new and innovative projects, festivals and events, which are all bound to leave you wanting more of Barcelona.
All those things together with the sea, mountains and Mediterranean flora make Barcelona the most unusual and beautiful city in Spain. The Olympics in 1992 gave it a new look, and since then Barcelona keeps on impressing visitors with new projects, festivals and events, which get under your skin.
