Behind most artists of great vision, we find someone with extensive resources... and good taste! This was the case of Gaudi and the sophisticated businessman Eusebi Güell! Of all the great patrons that supported Gaudí, this was a man that would end up being a true friend. Güell visited the 1878 International Exhibition held in Paris and was stunned by the window of a glove shop. He soon found out that it had been designed by a young architect of great skill and vision, Antoni Gaudi. From then on, he would commission a wealth of ambitious projects to his new friend. From his palace on La Rambla in Barcelona to the houses for the workers of his textile factory near the city, Güell would keep Gaudi busy. The so-called Colonia Güell was informed by the utopian ideas prevalent at the time and the contemporary quest for a more natural way of living. Güell acquired these lands on the foothills of the Collserola Sierra to build a residential area in perfect harmony with nature. It was so beautiful that both Güell and Gaudi chose to live here!