With this tour we show you the main modernist buildings in the city centre while we learn about the culinary habits of Reus society in the time of modernism: We talk about the precarious life of the workers and their food while we enter the Carme quarter, an example of an industrial working-class neighbourhood. We also talk about the refinement of the bourgeoisie, its cafes, and restaurants as we walk through the most elegant streets and squares of Reus. We know about the markets of the time, old factories and food shops. Indeed, we talk about the innovations in cuisine and in the food industry at the time. You will also learn about original modernist recipes and finally, we talk about the importance of vermouth and its expansion. The tour includes the visit to Vermuts Rofes with vermouth tasting.
Optionally, you can taste a modernist menu created exclusively for the assistants of this tour and elaborated by a collaborating restaurant. The menu consists of an appetizer, first and second course, drink and desserts. The menu is inspired by original Modernist recipes, some of which will be explained during the tour. The menu can be made for either lunch or dinner and has an additional price of 22€.

Itinerary

The tour begins at the Oenology Station, inside which we find “la Casa del Vermut i del Vi” (the House of Vermouth and Wine), a space that reveals the importance of wine, eau-de-vie, and vermouth production in Reus in the 18th and 19th centuries. At this point, we talk about these products in modernist food and their role in the Reus economy.
Then we go to Sant Joan Street to see the facades of modernist buildings such as the Prat de la Riba School, where we talk about the children’s diet; the Anti-Tuberculosis Pavilion, where we learn about the most common diseases of the time, the causes of the precarious health of the workers and their diet.
Later on, we go into Carme quarter, an example of a working-class neighborhood, and we explain how the living conditions of the lower classes were, their housing, and of course their food. We also talk about the diet of working-class women and their daily life.
After that, we go to Prim Square, where the most luxurious hotels, inns, cafés, and restaurants of the city were located, and we talk about bourgeois cuisine. Next, we continue to Mercadal Square, to talk about the old weekly market, the modernist Casa Navàs, and the evolution of the domestic kitchens.
During the tour, we show you old photographs related to the content, as well as original documents such as recipe books and menus of that period’s restaurants.
To finish the tour, we go to the house where Gaudí was born and explain the diet of the brilliant architect. Nearby we find Rofes restaurant, an old vermouth factory, where we talk about this product, its elaboration, and its expansion. We see the old cellar while tasting vermouth.

When:

Ask for availability to set a date.

Prices:

15€ adults 7€ children (8-14 years old)

It is possible to arrange other dates, previous consultation, for a minimum of 6 adults or the equivalent price.

Language:

Spanish, Catalan or English.

Recommended clothing:

No special clothing is required.

Accessibility:

Suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Allergies:

Please report any food allergies.

Pets:

Suitable for animals except indoors: Casa del vermut y del vi, Rofes Restaurant, and Rosa dels Vents Restaurant.