Barcelona
Craft with a sense of humour.
Barcelona is one of those cities where architecture refuses to stay in the background. Gaudí makes that almost impossible. Buildings bend, façades become surfaces to experiment with, and suddenly structure, colour, craft and imagination are all part of the same thing.
What I notice: Gaudí, of course — but also the geometry of the Eixample, tiled floors, balconies, courtyards and the constant presence of the Mediterranean. Few cities move so naturally from architecture to beach, and from beach to a long lunch at a restaurant by the water.
There is a looseness to Barcelona that balances all that architectural intensity. Maybe that is what makes it work: a city capable of taking design very seriously without taking life too seriously.