THE WAY OF SANTIAGO (FRENCH)

The Camino de Santiago de Compostela is the long route that pilgrims have taken since the Middle Ages, through France and Spain, to reach the sanctuary of Santiago de Compostela and the tomb of the Apostle James the Greater. The French Way is the one with the greatest tradition and is the one best known internationally. It is roughly a journey of 800 km lasting 1 month. This Via in Spain and France has been defined as a World Heritage Site by Unesco and it is said that one knows where it arrives but not where it starts from as it can be considered the main route of the European Way.

It was consolidated as a Jacobean itinerary in the 11th century thanks to the work of many rulers of Navarre, Castile and Leon who advanced the reconquest and made the current route a territory free from Muslims. Important cities, full of history and art (Pamplona, ​​Logroño, Burgos, León) alternate with smaller towns and villages, many born in the shadow of the Way, rich in traditions and welcoming places for pilgrims.

The best of Spanish Romanesque and Gothic can be found along this itinerary and the best epic literature finds its setting here.

The itinerary begins in the Pyrenees mountains and proceeds along two variants which correspond to two different entry points: Roncesvalles (in Navarre) and Somport (in Aragon).

The routes merge at the town of Puente la Reina, to then head west crossing the territories of La Rioja and Castilla y León entering Galicia from O Cebreiro, a village that maintains its medieval appearance. The Galician section continues, meeting villages and small towns, many of which are contained in the "Liber Sancti Jacobi" or "Codex Callixtinus", to reach Sarria, the most important locality of this part of the Way which in fact marks the last 100 kilometers of the Way.

The Galician section with the following seven stages arrives in Santiago:

1. O Cebreiro – Tricastela (22km)
2. Tricastela – Sarria (14 km)
3. Sarria – Portomarín (23 km)
4. Portomarín – Palas de Rei (22 km)
5. Palas de Rei – Arzúa (27 km)
6. Arzúa – O Pino (21 km)
7. O Pino-Cattedrale di Santiago de Compostela (19 km).