To its people, Catalonia is a stateless nation, with FCBarcelona the most recognised symbol of Catalonia abroad. Under the repressive dictatorship years, the Catalans attended FCBarcelona matches and found an environment in which they could express themselves freely, this quickly developed into a powerful representation of regional identity.

Catalans have strong sporting traditions, and castle-building contests are major components of any summer festival. Similarly, the Barcelona Marathon, held the first weekend in March, takes place on the city streets, as does the final stage of the Tour of Catalunya bike race.

To find out what’s on there are two Barcelona-based sports dailies: El Mundo Deportivo and Sport. When purchasing tickets, the easiest option is often to go through ServiCaixa, a sales system operated by La Caixa bank. This can be done online at www.servicaixa.com (you collect your tickets at the venue) or via the bank’s cash points (which print a ticket).