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00:00As I revealed the secrets, what an amazing building, that is magnificent, of places you
00:11think you know, look at the size of this, and the little known regions, that is spectacular,
00:20just waiting to be discovered, this is very nostalgic for me, smell the money, suddenly
00:27we're on the Riviera, but I'm inside the barrel, together we'll go beyond the hot spot, absolutely
00:33spectacular, it's so remote, to the places where the magic is made, you have to love heat and smoke
00:41and flame, I can't wait to show you, today I reveal secrets from Barcelona, where we
00:56discover a neglected GaudÃ, what an amazing building, and a tipple to kickstart the day,
01:03wow that's a big vermous, I go shoulder to shoulder with the locals, putting in, my legs are trembling,
01:12and search out the best food, this pen is full of generations of history, it's emotional for me,
01:18in a city of style and sophistication.
01:30Our journey through Spain begins in what many would consider its worst kept secret.
01:38Welcome to Barcelona.
01:40Barcelona is the capital of Spain's Catalonia region.
01:54Around 15 million visitors crowd its tourist hotspots every year, queuing for a glimpse of the astounding
02:02Sagrada Familia Basilica, and jostling for space along its most famous street, Las Ramblas.
02:10But that's not for us, I'm going to show you a face of Barcelona rarely visited,
02:18away from the souvenir shops and tour guides, where locals celebrate with Catalan pride and passion.
02:31What a magnificent view, I first set eyes on Barcelona when I was 10 years old,
02:36and maybe you know it too. Or do you? In a city whose centre has begun to groan under the weight of tourism,
02:44with some local ructions, from here you can see that there are so many neighbourhoods where we will feel like pioneers.
02:53Viewed from above, Barcelona's symmetrical layout and grand architecture are plain to see.
03:00The city, built on the back of a booming 19th century textile industry, when the city was known as the Catalan Manchester.
03:11Dominating the skyline is the extraordinary Sagrada Familia Basilica, designed at the height of that industrial age.
03:19The Catalan architect Antoni Gaudà created extraordinary buildings that project to the world a powerful image of Barcelona,
03:30like the Casa Mila and the Casa Balliol. Yet one of his creations remains something of a secret, 140 years after it was built.
03:41I've come to the neighbourhood of Gracia, which is uphill and inland from the city centre. Indeed,
03:49it was only incorporated into Barcelona at the end of the 19th century. In the years before that,
03:54as industrialisation spread, they built steam textile factories out in the nearby villages,
04:00such as this one. And that brought a population of bourgeoisie, the owners and the managers,
04:06and a proletariat of machine operatives. Hidden up one of Gracia's back streets is something totally
04:16unexpected and quite exceptional. A breathtaking example of GaudÃ's earlier work that very few people
04:24visit, which I can't wait to show you. Hello, Macarena. Hola. Hola. Buen dia.
04:31Commissioned by a wealthy stockbroker of the day, Casa Vicens was the very first family home designed by GaudÃ,
04:41and a proving ground for his originality. What an amazing building. It's extraordinary, isn't it?
04:50Architectural historian Macarena will show me around. It was like his first important work.
04:57And, uh, he was like less than 30 years old. 30. I mean, he was very, very young. I think he maybe
05:05wanted to show how much he was able to make and do. Looking at the exterior, I see lots of flowers on
05:12the tiles. I see palm leaves in the gates. Yes, of course. You know, Gaudà nature was always his source
05:18of inspiration. And when he came here at first, uh, he was just walking around the area. He saw a lot of
05:25yellow flowers, you know, the palm trees. Today, Gracia is a built-up neighbourhood. A couple of
05:32metro stops from the city centre. In GaudÃ's day, it was a distinct rural village. Casa Vicens was
05:40designed as an opulent country manor with extensive gardens surrounded by countryside. And he carried
05:48those themes into the interior.
05:55So much detail everywhere, isn't there? And the vegetation continues inside. The ceiling is full of
06:02vegetation. The walls. Yes. Amazing. Now, I'm going to show you this balcony because it connects the
06:10outside with the inside. And can you imagine another place much more better than this for relax and
06:16seat. So many inspirations here. This is Japanese. We've got the inspiration of nature again in the
06:22ceiling. And this then, I suppose you would say is Islamic inspired? Yes, completely. Again, Gaudà was
06:28very young. He was learning. He's going to use nature, all the styles as a source of inspiration for the
06:35structures of the buildings. Like this alcove inspired by the Alhambra in Granada.
06:46This is where you say, wow. You do say, wow. This is completely over the top.
06:55You can see how he was using a lot of different techniques for this decoration and something very
07:00original. If you look at the wall, you never guess what it is. He was able to make something
07:05extraordinary from something so simple as paper. This is papier-mâché. And here, actually,
07:12you can see that the tiles are curving around the wall. Yes. Which a normal ceramic tile simply
07:18doesn't do. Every inch of this extraordinary house features the meticulous attention to detail
07:26that is a hallmark of GaudÃ. It led to Catalan modernism, a movement similar to Art Nouveau.
07:33It's a house full of surprises. Then this leads through.
07:37Yes. GaudÃ, instead of making a long corridor, he designed this space where, you know, the doors can
07:45be open and closed for privacy. So I'm going to lock doors because of this is Leniri's room.
07:52I see. And then these doors also close. And these doors close, too.
08:04Leaving me in the dark. Hello? Hello?
08:09It might seem a bit frivolous to build fantastical rooms for rich clients. But actually, Gaudà was a
08:19serious and deeply religious man who once wrote, imagine a house neither small nor big. And by
08:26enhancing and enriching it, it becomes a palace. Well, he certainly achieved that here.
08:31Next. I understand you have a custom of drinking vermouth in the middle of the day. I enjoy a morning
08:40tipple. Cheers. And step into a fantasy. I find myself in a magical fairy glade, beckoned by the sound of
08:48dance music.
08:59I'm showing you the secret side of Barcelona, well off the tourist trail, where Catalan culture is proudly
09:07celebrated. A ten-minute stroll from our first stop at GaudÃ's Casa Vicente, situated in an
09:16unremarkable back street, is a very traditional bar. It's known for serving an aperitif, which is a
09:23big part of local culture, even though most of us wouldn't associate it with Spain.
09:28Hola. Hola.
09:30Hola.
09:31Soy Michael. David. David.
09:33Un placer, Michael.
09:35Hola, Michael. Carlos. Carlos, encantado.
09:38What a lovely place you have here. It has so much atmosphere. Thank you.
09:42Yeah. This is from the beginning of the fifties, but in 2010, we do a conservation of this place.
09:51David and Carlos's bar is celebrated for its vermouth, a fortified wine flavored with herbs
09:57and botanicals that became popular in Italy and France in the 18th century.
10:02It was introduced to Barcelona in 1876. The city embraced and absorbed it, enthusiastically creating
10:11its own vermouth culture. Now, I understand you have a custom of drinking vermouth in the middle of
10:18the day. Is that correct? Yeah. During the morning, before your lunch,
10:24you do the vermouth. You can do the vermouth every day, but we used to do during Saturday or Sunday.
10:31Time to drink like a local. Carlos, may I have a vermouth, please?
10:36Okay. Um, you didn't ask me what brand.
10:44Because I only have one type of vermouth, okay? It's a house vermouth. It comes from here,
10:49from the barrels. Each bar crafts its own vermouth,
10:53faithful to a secret recipe of herbs and botanicals. Wow, that's a big vermouth.
10:59Ooh. Red vermouth is usually sweeter than white. The boys tell me that theirs is slightly more bitter, too.
11:06And it's the same recipe from the 15th when the place is open. If you feel like a really strong
11:15vermouth, you can put a little bit of soda water. I like this. This is a really old-fashioned soda
11:20siphon. It's all part of the atmosphere here. But I'm enjoying this trade. Gracias.
11:26Carlos, why is it such a thing for Catalonia? Why is it such a thing for Barcelona to have the vermouth?
11:49It's the social moment, opening up your appetite before lunch.
11:52In Barcelona, vermouth is often served with a plate of pickles and preserves,
12:00offering a salty contrast to the sweet drink. My mixed snack of the house,
12:07quimet, turns out to have anchovies, razor clams, olives, a few coccles with a little tuna.
12:14I love places like this. And I think probably most cities have them. Somewhere that you can go
12:31that has been unchanged in maybe 60, 70 years, for which you feel a nostalgia. I don't know,
12:37life was simpler there. And it's about the simple things. It's about good food, decent wine, pleasant company.
12:45So now, when I travel, I always hope to find a place exactly like this, that somebody has saved
12:53for all of us. Felicidades. Congratulations, boys.
12:56Always happen. Cheers.
13:05Skirting the main tourist area, our next stop is about a mile and a half away, northwest of the city centre.
13:13The neighbourhood of Sants is home to Barcelona's main railway station.
13:18Most visitors pass through it en route to their hotels. But we're stopping to explore.
13:24Sants was just a small settlement with a church going back to 1100, until the industrial revolution
13:36brought it this steam-powered textile factory, complete with towering chimney. It's now thoroughly
13:42absorbed in Barcelona, but it still has the feel of a village. And for the last 100 years or more,
13:48they have celebrated an annual party. And by luck and design, I'm here on the right day.
13:58The Festa Major began as a 19th century religious festival celebrating Saint Bartholomew.
14:04And it's one of hundreds of local fiestas that punctuate the calendar throughout Spain.
14:11I recommend searching them out for a glimpse into the heart of a community and to feel its spirit.
14:20The beer is flowing. The table football competition is underway. The sound systems are being tested.
14:26Over eight days every August, traffic is shut out. And the locals come together to decorate the streets.
14:34I find myself in a magical fairy glade, beckoned by the sound of dance music.
14:40And this is the traditional dance of the Catalans.
14:50The sardana. It's a dance that spread through Catalonia over the last couple of centuries.
14:57It's quite simple. It's danced in circles.
15:05It's very Catalan. It's said to represent the harmony and unity and democracy of Catalonia.
15:17Might it even be simple enough for me? Although this fiesta is generally local,
15:22the galumphing stranger is warmly welcomed into the ring.
15:34I simply step from time to time and dance from time to time. And it all seemed to work out quite well.
15:41Having joined the sardana, where else can I throw my weight about?
15:46A few streets away, a distinctively Catalan tradition is taking shape.
15:50It's believed to have originated from a 17th-century dance, in which one cavorter swayed on another's shoulders.
15:59These human towers are known as Castaig, and are constructed throughout Catalonia.
16:06I'm meeting enthusiastic members of the Suntz group Rougert and Maria.
16:13So, as I understand it, you build towers of people.
16:16You have lots of people at the bottom, then you have layers of people on top of each other,
16:20like this, going up into the sky. And so the only question is, why?
16:27That's a very good question.
16:29It's tradition, and brings the whole neighbourhoods together.
16:33And why not try to climb one on top of the other one, and let's see how far we can get?
16:38Yes. Why not? Why not indeed?
16:41The Castales rely on trust, since all must reliably play their part.
16:47At the base, the older, bigger members of the community bind together to form a solid foundation.
16:54The tower grows as lighter and more agile climbers scramble upwards,
16:59with the small children occupying the top spots.
17:02Now, Roger, you would never send a child of yours to the top, would you?
17:09Of course I would. My daughter is doing it.
17:11Your daughter is doing it.
17:12Yeah.
17:13How old is she?
17:14Seven years old.
17:16Is it your heart in your mouth?
17:19Uh, I love it, uh, because climbing to the top of the tower, that's quite a privilege.
17:25Tonight, I'm joining the rehearsal. But first, I need to be bound tight.
17:32Nice.
17:33Yeah, it's going well.
17:34You're feeling it.
17:35It's going great.
17:37Lovely.
17:38Like this, you have your back protected.
17:40That's fabulous.
17:41And also, I noticed that the, uh, the climbers use this.
17:45They put their feet in here.
17:46Yeah, that's it.
17:46Their feet, yeah.
17:48And they use this bit as well, don't they?
17:49Yeah, that's it.
17:50Knee and then the shoulder.
17:52There's a technique that is going with the rehearsal.
17:55They can make it finer and finer.
17:57I just saw your little daughter, Edna, going up the top of the tower.
18:01Yeah, she's, she's there.
18:02It's like a little frog, we say.
18:04She's like a little frog, yes.
18:05And making the aleta, or little wave.
18:08So to say that the castel, the human tower is finished.
18:12Whoa!
18:13It's all right.
18:14It's all right.
18:14She slipped, but she was caught.
18:16She slipped.
18:16She slipped.
18:17But everything is OK.
18:18It's fine.
18:19That's why we rehearse.
18:22As evening turns to night, the towers become steadily taller.
18:26More pack the base, directly supporting three or four, who in turn hold aloft the multiple
18:33upper tiers of this human wedding cake.
18:36So now we're going to try with the base, but probably without the kicks on top.
18:41And it's my turn to join in.
18:44So what you will have to do is you will need to hold his wrists.
18:48Like that?
18:48And push forward.
18:52No, a bit.
18:53Maintain the tension.
18:59Putting in.
19:01Maintaining the pressure.
19:04Feet climbing over us.
19:07We're not allowed to look up, just maintain the pressure.
19:13You can feel the base sway as people go past on their way up.
19:16Or occasionally a glimpse of a foot.
19:26Pressure is rising.
19:28And kind of being crushed between the man in front of being the man behind.
19:36Face moves under the pressure.
19:46Feels like people are coming down again.
19:53I can feel the base relaxing a bit.
19:55And we are good athletes.
20:02Oh, a lot of pressure.
20:06Being crushed by the man in front of the man behind.
20:09A lot of pressure on the leg muscles.
20:12And I didn't see what was happening.
20:14Yes.
20:14How was it?
20:16It's good?
20:18It's tense.
20:18It was tense.
20:19It's tense.
20:19My legs are trembling.
20:22You need quite a lot of strength, don't you?
20:24Yeah.
20:24You need strength and you need mentality.
20:26Not getting lost in your mind.
20:28No, no, no.
20:28You just need to be focused on what you're doing.
20:30I assure you, my mind didn't wander for a moment.
20:32You don't really have to ask whether the Catalans have a clear regional identity.
20:41They certainly do.
20:42And building human towers is one of the things that sets them apart.
20:46This requires teamwork, discipline and trust.
20:50And it makes it a formidable activity.
20:56Coming up.
20:57Pass the ribbon through the holes.
21:00I get a taste of Barcelona style.
21:03It's getting complicated with all these dribbles.
21:05And I'm sized up.
21:07Are you measuring my bottom?
21:09You have to measure my bottom for a shirt?
21:11Yeah.
21:18I'm showing you the Barcelona that the tour guides don't.
21:24Behind me is the medieval city.
21:26And down below the famous church of the Sagrada Familia by GaudÃ.
21:32And then the canyons, those avenues that were created in the 19th and 20th century.
21:37But I'm not going to focus on any of those.
21:42We're headed for the hidden communities in between.
21:45Where the flag claiming Catalan independence hangs defiantly from balconies and buildings.
21:52In a city whose official languages are both Spanish and Catalan.
21:57However, throughout the years of Spain's dictatorship under General Franco,
22:02Catalonia's proud identity was suppressed.
22:06And its language banned.
22:07And it's not going to be a part of the world.
22:08On Franco's death in 1975, they came roaring back.
22:14On my first visit to Barcelona after General Franco died, I arrived here with my little map.
22:21And became very confused.
22:23Where the map told me I was travelling on General Francisco Franco Avenue, the street sign said Diagonal.
22:32When I turned into Primo de Rivera Avenue, the street sign said Gran Via.
22:38With the restoration of autonomy to Catalonia, the names had reverted from those of the
22:46dictators of the 20th century to names that were popular and Catalan and traditional.
22:55Our next stop is in the busy Gothic Quarter, visited by most tourists.
23:01Reached through the Warren of medieval streets and alleyways,
23:04is a shop where Catalan culture and tradition are clearly afoot.
23:13Asilde, what a pleasure.
23:14Hi, Michael. Welcome to La Manuela del Parcatera.
23:17It's great to be here. The shop is like a museum. It's wonderful.
23:21You've got all the original shop fittings, I think.
23:23Yes, we have it all from the 40s.
23:26Yeah.
23:28Asilde's shop, which she inherited from her husband's family,
23:32specialises in espadrilles, simple shoes made with canvas uppers and soles woven from natural fibres
23:41like jute that were traditionally worn by peasants working in the fields.
23:47They symbolise Catalan identity, worn at festivals and dances like the sardana that I took part in.
23:54And here, they're still made in the time-honored way by hand.
23:59Hello.
24:00Hello.
24:01Good morning.
24:02By Nargis and Jordi.
24:04Jordi, lo primero que noto es que llevas como el dedo de un guante, solo un dedo en cuero.
24:12SÃ, esto sirve de protección cuando tengo que tirar de la aguja. Y esto que le llamamos palmete,
24:19metálico, sirve para empujar la aguja.
24:24Y, sin embargo, ¿tienes alguna herida en la mano o en el dedo?
24:28Tengo aquà pinchazo, otro pinchazo.
24:33Stabbed himself in the thumb.
24:34Ahà es.
24:34Pero, Jordi, eres incipiente. ¿Empiezas ahora a hacerlo?
24:39Pues, 43.
24:41No, he's been at it for 43 years, and even so, he gets injured.
24:45¿Y tú eres capaz de hacer cuántos en un dÃa?
24:48Normalmente, para este tipo de alpargatas, tardo una hora.
24:52Una vez terminado, pasamos a la compañera que está poniendo las cintas.
24:57Muy bien, muy bien.
25:00Acilde's shop opened just after the Spanish Civil War.
25:04Republican soldiers in that conflict had worn espadrilles as part of their uniform.
25:10Function then gave way to fashion during the 1940s and 50s, led by one of Catalonia's most
25:16eccentric sons, the artist Salvador DalÃ.
25:20He used to come here to buy the espadrilles.
25:25He was a young man, but my mother-in-law doesn't want to help him because he was grumpy.
25:32Grumpy?
25:33Yeah.
25:34Right, he was a grumpy customer.
25:35Yes.
25:36Wow.
25:36But when he started to make famous in the television, all the women that used to work here said,
25:44Ah, you know, the guy that used to come here, now he's famous.
25:48Fantastic.
25:49Your mother-in-law must have felt better about him after that.
25:52Yeah, of course.
25:53Who else?
25:53What other celebrities?
25:55Jack Nicholson used to come here.
25:56The Pope.
25:58The Pope?
25:59Yes.
25:59John Powell II.
26:01What?
26:02Which one did he wear?
26:03Uh, this model.
26:05Oh, of course, white.
26:07Yes, of course.
26:08We made this special model for him.
26:12You took care of the Pope's soul.
26:14Yes.
26:17They also make a great memento.
26:19Just choose your favorite style and color.
26:22We begin with a plain espadrille, but we can now decorate this with ribbons, yes?
26:29Yes.
26:30For me, it's the Salvador Dalà with red ribbons.
26:35Well, it was never going to be the Pope's.
26:38The things we will do is just to put the ribbon inside the needle.
26:43Under Asilda's watchful eye, I'm a willing pupil.
26:47Look for the pole in the middle.
26:49One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
26:51Mm-hmm.
26:52And through.
26:53Yeah.
26:54And then go to the back.
26:58Okay.
26:58Pass the ribbon through the holes.
27:02Then the third hole to the second hole.
27:05It's getting complicated with all these ribbons.
27:08And then now to the other side.
27:10I had a feeling.
27:14You're doing quite nice.
27:19It's a warm day.
27:20It's quite a physical activity, isn't it?
27:22I'm sweating with attention.
27:24Here we go.
27:24That's nice.
27:26Do you know, this is looking so pretty.
27:28Perfect.
27:30Good.
27:31Asilda, we have made a thing of beauty.
27:34Yeah, you have made it.
27:36Well.
27:39Ah, I think that is the sexiest and most elegant shoe that I've ever worn.
27:52I've never seen.
28:01At the time that Barcelona's fabulous footwear was finding favor with the 1950s and 1960s jet set,
28:09I first visited the city completely by accident.
28:15When I was 10 years old, I traveled to Spain unaccompanied to stay with a lady in her 60s,
28:21who was a family friend who had recently been widowed.
28:25On my return, my flight to Madrid, where I was to take a jet to London, was cancelled.
28:32And so they sent me instead to Barcelona.
28:36Two other people shared my predicament.
28:38They were Miles Burkett, who was an archaeologist at Cambridge University, born in the 19th century,
28:45and his wife.
28:47And the three of us were brought here to the Ritz Hotel.
28:51This was the sort of experience I had never had.
28:54I had a bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.
28:57I had my own telephone.
29:00We dined in the hotel restaurant.
29:03And the next day, they flew us home, leaving me with an anecdote and also a taste for the high life.
29:15My hotel tonight is just a stone's throw away, built in 1879 as a palatial home
29:22for a family made wealthy by the city's textile industry.
29:28I chose it both for the decor and features from that illustrious past
29:34and because of the vista from its terrace.
29:36Why jostle with the crowds and queues to see Gaudi's best-known act of architectural devotion
29:45when, without craning your neck, you can appreciate its magnificence
29:50from the comfort of the hotel's rooftop bar?
29:55Fantastic.
29:56You may have seen the Holy Family Church by Gaudi before,
30:00but are you up to date?
30:02Because after more than a century of construction, it is now racing towards completion.
30:08I can't believe how much it has changed since I last saw it.
30:12Gaudi accepted the commission of designing Barcelona's new basilica in 1883.
30:19As ever inspired by nature, he conceived 18 towers,
30:23each emblematizing a biblical figure.
30:27But in place of columns and buttresses, the spires appear organic, like stalagmites.
30:34And the saints' proximity to Christ is represented by the height of their pedestal.
30:40There are 12 towers for the apostles, well and truly complete.
30:44Now, four taller towers representing the winged vangers have been completed.
30:50So we've got Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.
30:54Then also the Virgin Mary tower, that's denoted by a star.
30:59And now, most excitingly of all, the central Christ tower is heading towards completion.
31:06They're going to put a giant cross on the top.
31:08At that point, it will be 566 feet high, the tallest church in the world.
31:16The ambition is to have it completed in time for the centenary of Gaudi's death in June 2026.
31:23The first place is to have a great place.
31:31Another reason to choose this hotel is for a discreet service offered to its guests.
31:39David.
31:40Buenos dias.
31:41Buenos dias. Michael Portillo.
31:43David Moy.
31:44David works with one of the city's oldest tailors, established in 1843 at the height of the cotton trade.
31:51I've presented myself for a made-to-measure shirt.
31:55Perhaps you could begin by giving me your opinion of my shirt.
32:01A bit long in the sleeve.
32:03What would you say? How much is that?
32:06This is four centimetres.
32:07Four centimetres should come off then.
32:09What about the rest of the shirt?
32:10Bien.
32:11Yes, it's OK.
32:12It's a casual shirt worn quite broadly.
32:17I could have it more slimline.
32:21Yes, yes, yes.
32:22The skill of a tailor can be compared to that of a doctor.
32:26Ah, hello.
32:28He sometimes delivers news you don't want to hear.
32:32Maybe because when you see the measurements, you need a little cover to fortify you.
32:35Mmm.
32:37Well, let's begin the painful part.
32:40What do you say to a client who is bigger than he was last year?
32:59Is it very important to flatter your client?
33:01Yes.
33:06Are you measuring my bottom?
33:07Yes.
33:08You have to measure my bottom for a shirt?
33:10Yes.
33:11My goodness, all right.
33:13I'm afraid my shirt is going to be shaped like this.
33:17How long until I get my shirt?
33:19We need four weeks.
33:21And where will it be made?
33:22How absolutely charming.
33:31The shirts are made in their own workshop in the Paseo de Gracia.
33:35And it will take four weeks.
33:41The perfect excuse for a return trip.
33:47Next.
33:47Inside this pan, it's full of traditions.
33:50It's emotional for me.
33:52I savour the heartiest Catalan cuisine.
33:56Strong flavours and strong textures.
34:00That is a good dish.
34:10Our final morning in Barcelona dawns.
34:13And there's still so much to show you away from its crowded centre.
34:16Barcelona acquired its modern layout towards the end of the 19th century.
34:25When workers flocked to the city to toil in the textile industry.
34:31The city was then confined inside its medieval walls, where tourists crowd today.
34:37The cramped living conditions were amongst the worst in Spain.
34:42The poorest had a life expectancy of just 24 years.
34:47With the city's expansion came new neighbourhoods with impressive avenues.
34:52residential blocks built around a central garden.
34:57And cafes spilling onto the broad pavements.
35:00This area of Barcelona is called Echample, and it was planned in the 19th century on a strict grid layout.
35:16And wherever two streets meet, the corners of the building are chamfered, cut off, so that each junction effectively is a little square.
35:26A more modern movement has been to divide the city into rectangles that consist of nine city blocks.
35:34And true traffic is allowed only around the exterior of the rectangle.
35:39Inside, it's restricted to pedestrians and bicycles and gardens.
35:47Like everything in Barcelona, it was controversial.
35:49But for the visitor, it provides an environment which is safe and breezy and quiet.
36:00Barcelona's city expansion also brought another benefit, food markets.
36:07Today, the city has 39 neighbourhood markets, and they're a staple of daily life.
36:13Well worth visiting to eat fine Catalan cuisine for a few euros.
36:17Local food writer, Mark, is meeting me at his favourite, Mercat del Ninot, here in Echample.
36:26Lovely to see you.
36:28Ooh, and what a beautiful market. Ninot Market.
36:30Ninot Market.
36:32How long have you known it?
36:34My grandma and my grandma have had a stall outside the market, just here, around here.
36:39And my childhood, every weekend, I spent time here.
36:44Ninot Market opened in 1893, just outside Barcelona's overcrowded city centre, and was the first in the area.
36:56Ninot means doll and derives from a ship's figurehead that was displayed at a nearby tavern.
37:02That connection to the sea can also be found in heritage Catalan foods, such as salt cod.
37:09We have a strong culture of codfish, but we don't have cod in our sea.
37:15It's a tradition here in Catalonia, because during the war, for soldiers, it's most easy to carry cod than meat.
37:23Salted cod?
37:24Salted, of course, salted, because it's easy to just to put water, and then you can eat it.
37:29Very interesting. What are your best animals? Pigs or beef or what?
37:34Pig. The culture of pig is super strong, and I think we are one of the top producers in Europe right now.
37:44One of the region's most traditional dishes is capipota.
37:47Well, here we have some cayos, chorizo, and capipota.
37:52Cheap cuts, including pig's trotters, slow cooked in a rich gravy.
37:57I just hope it tastes better than it looks.
38:01Now, we've got tripe, and we've got chorizo.
38:04Yeah.
38:05But capipota, what does that mean?
38:06Capipota, cap is head, and pota is leg.
38:11Yeah, it's different parts of the animal.
38:13Yeah, it's different parts of the animal.
38:15Mm.
38:17Strong flavours and strong textures.
38:19Mm-hm.
38:20The tripe is, of course, very, very chewy.
38:22And of course, it's not beautiful as a, you know, as a Japanese or Mexican food,
38:26but we love it, and it's perfect.
38:32Another dish contains a sausage, known as a botifarra,
38:36thought to have originated in Roman times.
38:38It's carne picada de cerdo, con pimienta, y alguna especie aromatica,
38:43o tomillo, romero.
38:46Mm.
38:47Served with beans, this was a staple of working-class families.
38:52We better leave room, because I'm interested in fish as well.
38:54And fish as well.
38:57To finish, we're visiting one of the market's oldest stalls that dates to 1898,
39:03where another style of food called mar y montaña is served.
39:09Mar y montaña is, like, the translation is sea and mountain, of course.
39:13Some cultures, when they cook, they decide, OK, that's time to cook fish or to cook meat.
39:19Catalans, no.
39:20Catalans, we prefer, like, to put everything inside the same plate.
39:23For example, the most popular dish is lobster with chicken.
39:27We love, we love, we really love this mar y montaña, especially in Christmas time,
39:34but there's a lot of more possibilities.
39:37Bueno, a ver, Gabriel.
39:39Es cabeza de ternera, cocida, y tripa de bacalao, y garbanzos.
39:44Estoy superadecuado, es la cocina tradicional de las abuelas.
39:47Precisamente de la tuya.
39:49SÃ.
39:50We need to preserve this.
39:51Inside this pan, it's full of traditions, of generations, of history.
39:57It's emotional for me, like that.
39:59And then when you taste it, it's incredible.
40:01MuchÃsimas gracias.
40:06OK, so here's your perfect example of mar y montaña.
40:12That is the tripe of a cod.
40:14Yeah, please, taste it.
40:16It's absorbed so many flavours, hasn't it?
40:21Yeah.
40:22That is a good dish.
40:26Mark, do you think that the cuisine is also an important part of Catalan culture?
40:31Super important, yeah, yeah.
40:32The food culture is important to preserve, for example, our language.
40:38For example, Catalan is disappearing from streets,
40:40but when you are using all recipes, when you are using all ingredients,
40:45you are using a Catalan that is not in the streets.
40:48So these less common words, these sometimes quite obscure words,
40:52that describe a fish or a meat or a sauce.
40:54Parts of cat, parts of animals, recipes.
40:57It's full of works in Catalan.
40:59So these go together.
41:01Catalan region, Catalan history, Catalan flag, Catalan language,
41:05Catalan gastronomy.
41:06Yeah, yeah, that's an important part.
41:10Cheers.
41:11Cheers.
41:12I've run out of time to show you more of this wonderful city, hidden within its little known
41:22neighbourhoods, but I hope I've shown you that if you leave the tourist trail behind
41:28and come with an open mind, you'll experience the essence of the place and meet the people
41:34who make it so special. Tall towers of people and of stone have been a theme of this excursion.
41:42And perhaps appropriately, because Barcelona is determined not to be overshadowed by the Spanish
41:48capital of Madrid. Certainly the visitors have become a problem. But any very large city can deal
41:55with tourists provided that they don't all just go to the same few places. So look at the Sagrada
42:02familiar through your binoculars and head for the neighbourhoods where Catalan culture is so proudly
42:09on display. And if you do that, the sky is the limit.
42:13Next time, I'll show you Asturias. Smell the money.
42:26Yeah!
42:27It might have been!
42:28Well, one of the largest buildings I have ever seen.
42:35Superb!
42:35Embuco!
42:37But I'm inside the barrel!
42:38I may have to stay here until I've lost some weight. More, more!
42:46Yes, discover Spain's Celtic coast next Thursday at eight.
42:51Who better to absorb the serene beauty of Lake Como than Tom Reid Wilson? Join his magnificent
42:56journey new tomorrow at eight. And brand new next, star witnesses, shocking revelations,
43:01and a world gripped by the trial of Michael Jackson. You've never seen courtroom drama like it. Stay with us.
43:07Also, forget to join me.
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43:12You're always listening to this show.
43:13Be careful!
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