Fodor's Expert Review Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau

Among the more recent tourist attractions in Barcelona, the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site is set in what was surely one of the most beautiful public projects in the world: the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the complex is extraordinary in its setting and style. The story behind it as fascinating as the site itself: architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner believed that trees, flowers, and fresh air were likely to help people recover from what ailed them more than anything doctors could do in emotionally sterile surroundings. The hospital wards were set among gardens, their brick facades topped with polychrome ceramic tile roofs in extravagant shapes and details. Domènech also believed in the therapeutic properties of form and color, and decorated the hospital with sculptures by Eusebi Arnau and colorful mosaics, replete with motifs of hope and healing and healthy growth. One of the most famous, by Mario Maragliano, describes the history of the institution and can be found in the main facade of the building. Begun in 1902, this monumental production won Domènech i Montaner his third Barcelona "Best Building" award in 1912. (His previous two prizes were for the Palau de la Música Catalana and Casa Lleó Morera.)

No longer a functioning hospital (the new Sant Pau—comparatively soulless but fully functional and state-of-the-art—is uphill from the complex), many of the buildings have been taken over for other purposes. The Sant Manuel Pavilion, for example, now houses the Barcelona Health Hub, a platform for startups working in the fields of e-health and innovation. The center offers self-guided tours with audio guides in the form of an app that can be downloaded to your personal devices, for maximum safety and hygiene.