Poblenou Cemetery

I'm a fan of photographing monumental cemeteries, and this one was no exception. Very different from that of which I am used to, Poblenou holds fascinating monuments, including the one I specifically went to visit, the Kiss of Death. Beautiful work. Do note that in the summer months, it gets extremely hot inside the cemetery walls, as it's almost completely stone.

If this is your first time in a Mediterranean cemetery, you might be in for a shock. 19th-century Barcelona architects went all out to create a necropolis that could compete in elegance with any smart townhouse in the upmarket L’Eixample district. Rather than being buried in the ground, the dead are immured in 8-storey high cement walls, which locals lovingly bedeck with intimate tokens and trinkets. The sculptures are a sight to behold – don’t miss the most famous, ‘el Beso de la Muerte’ (kiss of death), which sends a shiver down the spine every time. The shrine to ‘el Santet’, a popular local saint, is another highlight. You’ll be able to find it purely by following the scent of freshly cut flowers.

It feels much better than you think, OK.

If you like to visit cemeteries when you are on your trip, the cemetery of the Poblenou cannot miss your guide. It is a more than a curiosity place. All of stone, this cemetery has niches, graves and sculptures of the most hallucinating. The most famous is the "Bess of Death". I recommend to use it with attention to the details and the history of that place.