* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
If you have time and want to invest it in discovering a “secret” square in Barcelona, ​​this is the right time. We discovered it in The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia.
Walking through the central areas of Sarrià , one of the city’s historical places and full of culture, looking for Plaça de Sant Gaietà , it is not easy to find it.
I asked a neighbor from the neighborhood, “where was the square?” And she answered me, very kindly, “Ah yes, the raconet!” (“the little corner”). And that is how it is popularly known in the neighborhood.
“Go to that passage, deep down you will find it, it is a beautiful, very hidden place,” he explained to me. The Pinterest platform considers Plaça de Sant Gaietà to be the most beautiful square in Barcelona, ​​but hardly anyone knows about it.
I continued my path until I arrived just behind the Mercat de Sarrià , which is a market that still preserves the original centenary structure that supplied the neighborhood throughout the last century. I entered the narrow cul-de-sac that you probably wouldn’t cross if you didn’t know there was something interesting behind it.
A few steps away, a small public square that hides behind the alley appeared, with a pleasant surprise. It is the tiny Plaça de Sant Gaietà , which “looks like a neighborhood patio”. It is surrounded by flowers (very well maintained), calm, full of light, silent, romantic (an urban oasis of peace).
The first impression you perceive is that it is a private corner. There is only one object that identifies it as a public square: the white marble plaque with the name.
Reality transforms the idea we have of the traditional public square, with representative elements, lampposts, benches and litter bins, bicycle riders crossing, people walking their dogs, there is no place to sit… This time we discover a somewhat different square.
It is like a small peninsula surrounded by attached, low-rise houses, which should allow, especially in summer, the coexistence of all the residents in the square. With a red tiled floor, placed vertically and horizontally, preserving the traditional architectural typology of the Sarrià neighbourhood, from the 20th century.
This little square is not very well known, it seems that it hides out of shame from possible visitors. It is practically impossible for them to find it if they do not know of its existence, or if they do not ask neighbors in the neighborhood.
Some people may not like it, but I think it’s worth coming to visit. They will realize how privileged the neighbors who live in one of the little houses that surround it are, and they will discover a different public square.
