Barcelona is one of Europe's most fashionable tourist destinations, blending the old and new: mediaeval alleys alongside modern architecture. This city, down at heel in the 1960s, was reinvented as the 1990s city of art and good living, and is claimed as a sustainable city for the twenty-first century. The book explains the transformation and questions its high claims. A must for those who want to know more about the city than is available in travel guides, it covers everything from Barca football club to George Orwell and the architect Antoni Gaudi. 'Barcelona' is informed, witty and, at times, fiercely political.