The ravishing Baroque and Rococo Palace Virreina was built in the 1770s and is the former home of long-dead Manuel d’Amat, a moneyed viceroy who cultivated his wealth in the Americas. The palace is now the headquarter of the Town Hall’s cultural department and “image center,” called La Virreina Centre de la Image, a platform that highlights Barcelona’s teeming visual-arts legacy by exhibiting works by some of Catalunya’s most important contemporary artists, like Antoni Abad and Oriol Bohigas.

The center is devoted to visual culture of an extensive scope, starting from the critical reflection of image-making, to the historical contextualization, discussion and display of the works. The facilities also include La Virreina Lab, a space assigned to educational activities, film screenings, conferences, lectures and archive presentations.

Located on the world-famous promenade, La Rambla, be sure to stop by for free, high-caliber programing. September ratchets it up a notch at La Virreina’s annual Fotomercé, which showcases images taken at the previous year’s Mercé festival, Barcelona’s largest street-carnival party.