According to historians, alternative routes on the Camino were not infrequent. In many cases they were the result of political instability in areas crossed by traditional routes. In others, it was the desire of aristocrats to avoid masses of lower class pilgrims. Perhaps the Rioja Alavesa path was born with such intention. Be that as it may, an important character made it very popular: King Carlos III The Noble from Navarra (1361-1425). In the 1380s, while still prince, he travelled as a pilgrim to Santiago de Compostela as a token of gratitude for having been freed from captivity in France. From Viana he travelled with his vast entourage along the villages known at the time as Sonsierra de Navarra. The area must have had the necessary infrastructure to cope with pilgrims of such high rank.
Prince Carlos?s journey consolidated the itinerary among vines in Rioja Alavesa. Some architectural traces still remain, such as the Jacobean shells on the main door lintel of the palace in Samaniego, built in the 17th century. And on the portico of Santa María de los Reyes church in Laguardia we can admire the gothic sculpture of the apostle Saint James dressed as a pilgrim. Beyond these physical traces, we like to imagine the steps of the pilgrims on the light soil of our paths.
According to Salvador Velilla Córdoba, a renowned historian from Lapuebla de Labarca, the Jacobean route passing through Rioja Alavesa and the Sonsierra includes the following stages: from Viana to Oyón-Oion (1 h 15 min walk); from Samaniego to Ábalos (1 h 5 min walk); from Ábalos to Santa María de la Piscina (40 min); and from Santa María de la Piscina to San Vicente de la Sonsierra (1 h), from the point where the Camino enters La Rioja to join the main route.
One more interesting fact: the route known as Camino del Norte (Northern Way), which crosses the flatlands in Álava, ends in Salinillas de Buradón. From this village, the route goes through Briñas towards Haro so a bit of the Camino passes right next to our Conde de los Andes vineyards."
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