Three pretty contiguous plazas surround the Gothic church of Santa María del Pi, acclaimed for its rose window, one of the world’s largest. The 15th-century original was destroyed when the church, like many others, was set on fire by anti-clerical troops at the beginning of the Civil War in 1936. The modest admission fee is worth paying for access to a well-drawn history of the various churches that have existed on the site, along with the context of the neighborhood as Barcelona grew from a Roman walled town to an early Christian city. Recent archaeological finds have opened a window onto the Romanesque structure that preceded the current Santa Maria del Pí. Views from the historic bell tower make you feel you’re right at the center of the Gothic Quarter. Frequent evening concerts, often featuring flamenco guitar, give you a chance to savor the historic interior. The main square out front is the officially called Plaça del Pi; the adjoining Plaça de Sant Josep Oriol leads behind the church to tiny Placeta del Pi. Some of the buildings on the lovely squares feature the unusual sgraffito decorative technique, an 18th-century style imported from Italy. These welcoming spaces are also popular for a weekend artisans’ market and open-air cafe-bars.