Spain
Spain
Europe
The flouncing, foot-stamping flamenco is still red hot and the fiestas wilder and more colorful than ever in Spain. Much more than a museum of tired clichés or dated folk festivals, the country binds modernity and tradition with a strutting confidence. With one of Europe’s most theatrical and turbulent histories to be explored, vivacious and fun-loving people ready to take you by the hand and a food culture that ranges from the avant-garde to the raw and unapologetic, it is impossible to not be swept up in the Spanish verve.
The flouncing, foot-stamping flamenco is still red hot and the fiestas wilder and more colorful than ever in Spain. Much more than a museum of tired clichés or dated folk festivals, the country binds modernity and tradition with a strutting confidence. With one of Europe’s most theatrical and turbulent histories to be explored, vivacious and fun-loving people ready to take you by the hand and a food culture that ranges from the avant-garde to the raw and unapologetic, it is impossible to not be swept up in the Spanish verve.
Example Itinerary 1
Art and Architecture in Barcelona
Art and Architecture in Barcelona
The proud Catalan identity and charisma of Barcelona finds expression in everything from the imaginative pintxos of its tapas bars to the harlequin facades of Antoni Gaudí. PRIOR members go behind the scenes of the city’s distinctive art, architecture and cuisine with celebrated gallerists, guides and gastronomes.
Discover the history of modernisme at Gaudí’s greatest masterpieces including La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell, and visit Casa Vicens, the art nouveau-meets-Moorish home he designed in the 1880s, with a private tour by the architect who oversaw its recent restoration and unveiling to the public.
Take after-hour guided visits to other cultural landmarks like the Picasso Museum, the Joan Miró Foundation and Sala Parés, the city’s oldest art gallery.
We can also arrange a shopping and design tour of central barrios with an in-the-know buyer and a market tour of La Boqueria with a leading chef to source produce for lunch in the heart of the historic Gothic Quarter.
Example Itinerary 2
The Basque Heartland
The Basque Heartland
Sharing a border with France along the Bay of Biscay, the Basque country claims a language, culture and landscape entirely its own. When it comes to food, the region’s pastoral interior and long coastline yield an abundance of fare for local tables.
Join local purveyors and chefs in the cities of San Sebastián and Santander to sample local delicacies like achingly fresh Atlantic seafood and txakoli (a sparkling wine) at agenda-setting restaurants and family-run tavernas alike.
Inland from the region’s fishing ports, behind thickly wooded mountains, lies the medieval village of Elciego. Here, you’ll learn about Rioja wines from vintners and sommeliers in a 150-year-old winery and stay in an adjoining Frank Gehry-designed hotel clad in curved plates of titanium. From here you can further explore the whitewashed towns and fertile valleys of the Basque heartland.
Oh and also...
Oh and also...
Trace the footsteps of pilgrims along a portion of the scenic Camino de Santiago and lodge in faithfully restored accommodations as old as the trail itself.
Trace the footsteps of pilgrims along a portion of the scenic Camino de Santiago and lodge in faithfully restored accommodations as old as the trail itself.
Celebrate with the Catalans during the Calçotada Festival, where the region’s distinctive calçot–something resembling a hybrid of a spring onion and leek—are charred in masias (farm houses).
Celebrate with the Catalans during the Calçotada Festival, where the region’s distinctive calçot–something resembling a hybrid of a spring onion and leek—are charred in masias (farm houses).
See Valencia’s Las Fallas fiesta, a parade that culminates in hundreds of giant papier-mâché effigies being set alight in honor of San José.
See Valencia’s Las Fallas fiesta, a parade that culminates in hundreds of giant papier-mâché effigies being set alight in honor of San José.