Gràcia was its own independent municipality until the late nineteenth century, when it was formally absorbed into Barcelona. That history of self-governance shaped a neighborhood with a fiercely local identity, expressed every August during the Festa Major de Gràcia, one of the city's most celebrated street festivals, when residents transform entire lanes with elaborate handmade decorations. The area's sloping streets and close-packed housing reflect an older way of building suited to the terrain, giving the neighborhood a density and intimacy rarely found elsewhere in the city.

The light on these streets is at its richest in late morning, when the sun angles low enough to throw the warm facades into sharp relief without washing out their color.