Route: Pamplona, Puente La Reina, Eunate, Estella.
Towns such as Pamplona, Estella and Puente La Reina were founded along an imaginary line drawn from Europe to the interior of the peninsula. This new network of communications paved the way through Navarra for the transport and development of goods, art and pilgrims on the road to Santiago.
Estella sits at the crossroads with other major routes on the Saint James Way in Navarra, offering us a magnificent example of civil Romanesque architecture: the Palace of the Kings of Navarra. And standing alone in a field is a solitary Romanesque church shrouded in mystery and unique history: Nuestra Señora de Eunate.
The pilgrims change from one year to the next but the rivers and bridges that help them along their way remain the same. One of the best known bridges, Puente La Reina, spans the River Arga and lends the town its name.
Seven Roman arches, one underground, make this bridge one of the most beautiful and monumental examples of Romanesque engineering along the Saint James Way.
Just down the road , without straying far from the trail laced with tales of bygone years, lies Pamplona, an ancient city boasting rich history. Once a way point and place of passage, Pamplona has a historic quarter with a wealth of artistic treasures: markets, former pilgrims hospitals, churches, splendid Baroque facades and, above all, the cathedral.
An excursion that will help shed light on the religious and civil life of a city.
