They can appear everywhere along the camino, in big cities or small towns and villages. Covered walkways giving protection from the noon day sun, the rain or the cold wind. The soportale or porch is a reflection of its origin in the monastic cloisters (who themselves took inspiration from the courtyards of the Moorish mosques). These […]

You don’t need to visit Barcelona to see the works of Spain’s greatest architect, Antoni Gaudí. Along the Camino Francés, there are two examples of Gaudí’s work, once in Léon and then Astorga. After a fire destroyed the original building, Gaudí was commissioned to design a new Episcopal Palace in Astorga by his friend, the […]

After climbing the Alto de Perdón past Pamplona, the pilgrim sees the vast Valdizarbe below them. Like pearls on a necklace, the towns of Uterga, Legarda, Muruzábal and Óbanos stretch forward in the distance to Puente la Reina, the stopping point of Stage 4. Strong, solid houses are typical of the Navarran style as you […]

Like all the other sights along the Camino Francés, the housing styles reflect the history, geography and climate the pilgrim will encounter along the route. The climate of northern Spain can run from the searing heat of the meseta to the misty lands of Galicia (known locally as España verde or green Spain). Building materials […]