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L'Illa Diagonal
170 boutiques under one long roof
Opened in 1993 as one of BCN's first big post-Olympics projects, this massive complex was coyly designed to look like a sideways skyscraper by two of Spain's top architects, Rafael Moneo and Manuel de Solà-Morales, although compared to some of the city's more recent projects it seems a model of businesslike restraint.
Inside are two four-star hotels, restaurants, a supermarket, the flagship stores of major made-in-Barcelona firms such as Munich shoes and Custo, as well as all the famous international shops, including Decathlon, FNAC, El Corte Ingles, Diesel, Benetton, Lacoste, Mango, Zara, PC City, Disney Store, Natura, The Body Shop, Bang & Oluffsen and Mandarina Duck.
Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls
Image by Rentzias