Can Barba (Cabrils)

Can Barba is an 18th/19th-century Catalan farmhouse standing in the centre of Cabrils, a small town in the Maresme region at the foot of the Serralada del Litoral hills, a short drive inland from the coast north of Barcelona. Locally also known as Cal Pelat, the building served for generations as a working farmhouse before its restoration turned it into a public municipal facility.

How do you get to Can Barba?

The building sits on Avinguda de la Zona Esportiva, right next to the town's municipal swimming pool, in the heart of Cabrils. Driving from Barcelona, the C-32 motorway or the N-II road toward the Maresme coast gets you there in roughly 30–40 minutes. By train, take the R1 line to Vilassar de Mar station and continue by taxi or local bus for the last stretch to Cabrils. Once in town, Can Barba is within easy walking distance of the centre.

What will you see there?

The farmhouse keeps the classic profile of a Catalan masia: a ground floor and upper storey under a single-pitched tile roof. The main doorway is flanked by plain stone jambs with no capitals, topped by a brick relieving arch — a detail typical of older farm buildings in the area. A barred window sits to the right of the entrance, while the upstairs windows are framed in cut granite. A commemorative plaque made of twelve ceramic tiles is set into the façade, marking the building's restoration history.

The restored masia was officially reopened on 23 April 1993. For a period afterward, Can Barba housed the Arborètum de Catalunya, a roughly 40,000 m² tree collection that brought together close to 90 of the 120 tree species found across Catalonia. Today the building operates as a multi-purpose municipal venue used for cultural and community events, and the grounds around it still carry that botanical legacy.

When should you visit?

Summer is the best time to see Can Barba in action, when open-air concerts take place on the grounds as part of Musicab, a summer night-concert series organised by the town of Cabrils. Outside the concert season, the site can be visited at a quieter pace, admiring the exterior architecture and combining the stop with the adjacent sports facilities. Check the Cabrils town hall's event calendar before visiting, since access to the interior generally depends on what is scheduled.

What can you pair it with?

Cabrils sits close to other traditional masies scattered across the Maresme countryside, as well as to coastal towns such as Vilassar de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres. It makes a convenient base for anyone exploring rural Catalan architecture or the Serralada del Litoral, the ridge of hills that separates the coastline from the inland valley.

Frequently asked questions

Is Can Barba open to visitors year-round? It's a public municipal building, so access depends largely on the cultural events calendar. The exterior can be viewed at any time of year; entering the interior usually requires a specific scheduled event.

Is there an entrance fee? Viewing the building from outside is free. Tickets may be required for specific concerts or events held on the grounds, such as those during the Musicab festival.

How long does a visit take? Seeing the façade and surrounding area takes about 15–20 minutes. If your visit coincides with a cultural event, the length depends on that event's programme.

Is Can Barba connected to the Arborètum de Catalunya? Yes — following its 1993 restoration, the building served as the seat of this institution, home to nearly 90 species of Catalan trees across some 40,000 m².