By car: Discover «The Landscape of Geniuses": Gaudí, Miró, Pau Casals and Picasso and you will get to know Reus, the city where Gaudí was born; you will identify some of Picasso's paintings in Horta de Sant Joan; you will enjoy one of Miró's favorite destinations in Mont-Roig and you will visit El Vendrell, the birthplace of the musician Pau Casals.
Reus, where Gaudí's modernism begins
It is the town on the route closest to the city of Tarragona (just over 10 kilometers away) and Gaudí was born there in 1852. To discover everything related to the artist, we recommend you visit the Gaudí Center and complete the route that follows his footprint in the city and that includes the birthplace (Sant Vicenç street) and the Sant Pere church (in which he was baptized). In addition, when you walk through Reus you will discover that it has an important set of modernist buildings, of which we suggest you visit the Pere Mata Institute and the Casa Navàs, works by the architect Domènech i Montaner.
Mont-Roig del Camp, a muse destination for MiróJust over 20 kilometers from Reus heading south, is Mont-Roig del Camp, a destination very frequented every summer by Joan Miró. He spent his stays in the space that today is known as Mas Miró, where he produced much of his work and which appears in one of his paintings: “La masía”. The nature that surrounds Mont-Roig was one of the main attractions for the artist. If you want to discover the reasons, visit the Pixerota beach, walk through the mountain of the Ermita de la Roca or take one of the bicycle routes in the surroundings. This environment is what captivated Miró and inspired him for many of his paintings, as you can discover at the Miró Center in Mont-Roig del Camp.
El Vendrell, cradle of Casals
Pau Casals is one of the most recognized Spanish musicians and author, among other pieces, of the United Nations anthem. To discover the landscape that inspired him in his early years, we suggest you visit El Vendrell, about 40 kilometers from Reus. The essential visit of the town is the Villa Museo Pau Casals, on the beach of Sant Salvador. Opposite is the auditorium that bears his name. Already in the old town, you will see the house where the artist was born and the church of El Vendrell, where the organ with which he began to play is located.
Horta de Sant Joan, nature for a Picasso painting
Continuing south, just over an hour's drive from Mont-Roig, you reach a place that many will recognize in Picasso's paintings: Horta de Sant Joan. If you visit the Picasso Center you will discover a sample of all the work that the artist created here and in which he immortalized different pictures of the town, such as the Hostal del Trompet or the Café de Vives. Another interesting visit is the Els Ports natural park, where the so-called Cueva Picasso is located, a small cave in which the painter spent part of the summer of 1898.
For more information on the starting points of this route
