Can Xicapila

Can Xicapila is a 19th-century townhouse in El Masnou, a coastal town in the Maresme region roughly 20 km northeast of Barcelona. Standing at Carrer de Jaume I 29, the building is listed on the municipal register of locally significant heritage (Bé d'Interès Local, catalogue number 3598-I) and included in Catalonia's Inventory of Architectural Heritage. It belongs to a wider group of bourgeois townhouses that El Masnou built up during its 19th-century economic boom, when the town's fortunes rested on shipping, trade and vineyards.

What will you see?

The house has a rectangular floor plan with a ground floor and two upper storeys, topped by a flat "terrat català" (Catalan-style terrace roof). The façade is symmetrical, organised around three vertical bays. On the ground floor, a centred entrance door is flanked by windows protected with wrought-iron grilles. The first floor is marked by a balcony that runs the full width of the façade, carried on six carved corbels and divided into three separate balconettes. The openings on the second floor are rectangular and framed by pilasters, and every window in the building closes with wooden roller shutters. The façade itself is finished in cream-coloured stucco with horizontal relief bands, the openings are outlined in white classical mouldings, and the composition is crowned by a balustrade set above a corbel-supported cornice. The building is privately owned and currently operates as a children's nursery (llar d'infants), so visits are limited to viewing the façade from the street — it is in good condition and easy to see from the public sidewalk.

How to get there?

El Masnou sits on the Rodalies R1 commuter line, making it an easy 25–30 minute train ride from Barcelona (Sants or Plaça Catalunya stations). From El Masnou station, it's a short walk through the town centre to Carrer de Jaume I. By car, the town is reached via the C-32 motorway or the coastal N-II road, with public parking available near the centre. For anyone exploring the Maresme coast, Can Xicapila fits naturally into a walk through El Masnou's old town, close to the marina and seafront promenade.

When to visit?

Spring (April–June) and early autumn (September–October) offer the most comfortable conditions for walking around El Masnou, with mild temperatures and fewer visitors than midsummer. Summer works well if you want to pair the architecture with a beach day, though July and August bring busier streets and heat that makes long afternoon walks less pleasant. The façade can be viewed year-round at any time of day, though early morning or late-afternoon light tends to work best for photographs.

Frequently asked questions

Can you visit the inside of Can Xicapila? No — the building is privately owned and operates as a nursery school, so only the façade can be viewed, freely, from the street.

How old is the building? Can Xicapila dates from the 19th century, from the period when El Masnou's bourgeois architecture expanded significantly.

What does the BCIL designation mean? BCIL stands for Bé d'Interès Local, a legal heritage protection category for locally significant buildings in Catalonia; Can Xicapila is registered under catalogue number 3598-I.

What else is worth seeing nearby? El Masnou offers a seafront promenade, a marina, and several other 19th- and 20th-century townhouses with similar heritage protection, making it easy to string together a short architectural walk through the town centre.