Barcelona Briefing: Coffee and Stroll with a Local Expert

A Barcelona native, Esther grew up cooking with her mother and grandmother. Their love of Catalan traditions and use of local ingredients laid the basis for her very sophisticated knowledge of Catalan cuisine. Having studied business administration and marketing on the university level, Esther has traveled extensively, giving her a very good sense of the comparisons between cuisines and traditions. When not leading walks for Context, she can be found in Barcelona’s restaurants and markets.

A native of Barcelona, Biel has a degree in art history from the University of Barcelona where he wrote his thesis on Catalan artists. He is active in the Barcelona arts scene, and as Catalan he has tremendous knowledge of the region's history and culture.

Santiago (Santi) has a PhD in Art History, focusing on Barcelona's cathedral during the Baroque period to 19th century. He is widely published in Spanish and Catalan in a broad range of academic periodicals, and has taught classes at University of Barcelona on Renaissance and Baroque art history, Spanish painting, urbanism and architecture. He previously provided guided tours of several of Gaudí’s buildings, such as the Palau Güell and Güell Pavilions, as well as Modernista walking tours. In addition to teaching and writing, Santi works as a researcher for a well-known antiques dealer in Barcelona, specializing in old drawings and prints studies. Passionate about art history and architecture, Santi recently published a book about his research work in Barcelona’s cathedral through history.