Avinyo is a narrow, shady little street, one of many in the Gothic Quarter, and it is especially popular with those who like to dress fashionably and stylishly. There are dozens of clothing and shoe shops here for every taste: from trendy to extravagant, from new collections to second-hand, from world-famous labels to young, promising designers.
However, at the end of the 19th century this street had a very different reputation. Still, brisk trade was conducted here even then: almost every house contained a brothel, and the air was filled with the intoxicating scent of forbidden fruit. The welcoming mistresses of these houses and their shameless employees are captured in the works of Pablo Picasso — he was their guest more than once. The 1907 painting “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon,” depicting five nude women, opens the Cubist period of the artist's work and marks the beginning of a new movement — Cubism.
Nowadays Avinyo Street is perfectly respectable. Besides shops, there are many good hotels, cafes, and restaurants here. By the way, hidden in one of the courtyards is a tiny triangular square with an abstract sculpture in the center. It is named after George Orwell: the writer spent 7 months in the Spanish Civil War and wrote about them in the book “Homage to Catalonia.”
