Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was born June 25, 1852 in rural Catalonia, but spent most of his adult life living in Barcelona, where most of his major works can be found. Gaudí wasn't well appreciated during his lifetime, and he died penniless at the age of 76. Today, some still consider his work a little too, well, gaudy. But the city of Barcelona has certainly come around in recent years, even going as far as to proclaim 2002 the Gaudí International Year. To acquaint (or re-acquaint) yourself with the architect's distinctive works, be sure to hit these major stops on your Gaudí tour of Barcelona.

Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia
If you only have time to see one sight in Barcelona, make sure this is it. Gaudí devoted a large portion of his life to this masterwork. Although started in 1882, the church was nowhere near completion at Gaudí's death, and in fact still isn't done. This didn't bother Gaudí ("My client is in no hurry" was his oft-repeated mantra). It shouldn't stop you, either. The two completed façades and four soaring towers are like nothing you've ever seen. Both faces of the building feature ornate--but completely different--sculpture. The southwestern façade was built after Gaudí's death and tells the story of Christ's last days. Although it features an eye-popping amount of detail, it looks positively drab compared to the nativity façade, which tells the story of the birth of Jesus. Gaudí himself closely supervised the work, and did much of it with his own hands. His feverish devotion to the subject matter clearly shows through in this surreal symphony of imagery, which almost looks as if it were made of wet sand.

Above all this, four slender towers loom like stone cypress trees. For a small fee you can take an elevator to the top of two of them, where views over the city are spectacular, especially at sunset. Inside the cathedral, the soaring vaults of the ceiling are starting to take shape nicely, although you'd need binoculars to fully appreciate the wealth of detail there.

Construction, incidentally, is predicted to be done sometime around 2020, provided donations keep trickling in at the current rate.

Casa Milà
Casa Milà is also known as La Pedrera (the quarry) because of the enormous amount of stone required to construct the unusual rippled façade. A self-guided tour takes you through many of the rooms of this house, which was completed in 1910. A highlight of the tour is a visit to the roof, with its fantastic giant chimneys. There's also a museum devoted to Gaudí on the top floor. Well worth paying a euro or two extra for is the tour of an apartment in the building, furnished much as it would have been when the building was new.

Casa Batlló
This seven-story building is another icon of Barcelona architecture. This isn't a new Gaudí construction, but rather a radical remodeling of an older building undertaken in 1905. It was opened to the public so recently that many guidebooks haven't gotten the word yet--don't believe them when they say you won't get past the foyer. Audio tours, available in English, guide you through the ornate interior of several floors. Inside the building, as well as outside, Gaudí's trademark stunning tile work is found everywhere. This building was clearly built with Gaudí's guiding tenant in mind: He believed that architecture should be inspired by nature, where, he insisted, there are no straight lines. You'd be hard-pressed to find one in this or any other construction of Gaudí's.

Parc Güell
Gaudí's only major foray into urban landscaping bears his distinctive stamp. Ornately decorated houses dot this park (originally conceived as a ritzy housing development), giving it a fairy-tale look. But the park's most conspicuous landmarks are Gaudí's sculptural touches. A 100-yard-long bench, decorated in colorful broken tile mosaic, winds around an open area with views of the city and the Mediterranean. Columns supporting the tile roof of what was supposed to be a covered market tilt at crazy angles like trees after a storm.

The park's most famous ornament is the blue-tiled, water-spitting dragon built into an outdoor staircase on a steep hill. The dragon might as well be Barcelona's mascot, as you'll see reproductions everywhere--even in museums, like the Picasso Museum, dedicated to the works of other artists. Visitors seem not to be able to get enough of the big lizard, as he's usually surrounded by throngs of photographers, each wishing the others would get out of the way. It's best to visit this park on a weekday, as crowds get thick on sunny weekends.

Palau Güell
Eusebi Güell (after whom Parc Güell was named) was Gaudí's most loyal patron, so it's no wonder Gaudí was commissioned to build a house for the wealthy industrialist. The home was built between 1886 and 1888, and is remarkable for the creative use of brick, not a material usually found inside upper-class homes of the day. As with most of his work, however, a wide variety of materials are used for decoration, including marble, wood, wrought iron, and tile. Guided tours are offered every day except Sunday.

Following the Modernisme Route
Barcelona was a major center for modernisme (the Spanish version of art nouveau), and today much of the movement's architectural jewels still exist. A great way for the architecture buff to get a taste of what the city has to offer is by purchasing a Ruta del Modernisme ticket at Casa Amatller (41 Passeig de Gràcia). Costing only about US $3.50, the card entitles you to discounts on admission to many monuments to modernism by a variety of architects, including Gaudí.

In addition, discounts to many museum exhibits on Gaudí are yours when you purchase a ticket on the Bus Turístic. These double-decker buses ply the streets of Barcelona, shuttling visitors between various points of interest. Your ticket, purchased on the bus, allows you to get on and off at will. A one-day ticket costs about US $12 and includes the book of discount coupons. The buses are easy to spot and pull up frequently to stops marked with an eye icon.•