Navarrete: Camino de Santiago, Old Town and Local Traditions

The Camino de Santiago initially runs through Navarrete’s town centre along Calle Mayor Baja and then along Calle Mayor Alta. The old town preserves the layout of a walled city. In its historic centre, traditional architecture combines dressed stone with brickwork. Calle Mayor, which is divided into Mayor Alta and Mayor Baja, features buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries with dressed-stone portals, wrought-iron work, coats of arms and Jacobean symbols.

More places to explore: Santo Domingo De La Calzada, Sorzano, Albelda De Iregua, Las Ruedas De Ocón, Briones, Ollauri, Arnedillo and Lagunilla del Jubera.

History

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is a three-nave church built of dressed stone; construction began in 1533, and its tower was built in the 17th century. It has an important Baroque high altarpiece from the late 17th century as well as a sacristy museum. Navarrete’s cemetery portal was moved from the former San Juan de Acre Hospital to its present location in 1887 and dates from the Late Romanesque period.

In the La Serna area of Navarrete, visitors can see the restored ruins of the San Juan de Acre Hospital. They are protected and form part of the Camino de Santiago.

Routes

The Camino de Santiago reaches Navarrete either via the old road from Fuenmayor or via the old road from Navarrete, which coincides with the route from Entrena. The Camino Ignaciano follows the route taken by Ignatius of Loyola in 1522 from Loyola-Azpeitia to Manresa. The route is 650 kilometres long and consists of 27 stages. Navarrete witnessed two periods in the life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola—before and after his conversion.

Landscape

The Dehesa de Navarrete or La Verde covers approximately 404 hectares within the municipality of Navarrete and lies on the final foothills of the Sierra de Moncalvillo in the Ebro Depression. The Dehesa La Verde can be reached via the Camino de la Dehesa or the Pasada de la Ironda. From the 781-metre-high Cerro de la Dehesa, there are views of San Lorenzo and the Serradero, and to the north of the Sierra de Cantabria, Codés and Toloño. Rabbits, hares, foxes and wild boar can be found there.

The Dehesa de Navarrete or La Verde route is a 6.4-kilometre circular trail with an estimated walking time of two hours. The paths and junctions are easy to follow; the surface is smooth and uneven in places. The area around the Pantano de Valbornedo is covered with vineyards and is suitable for walking or fishing; the vegetation includes oaks, holm oaks and planted pine trees. The route around the Pantano de Valbornedo is an 8-kilometre circular trail with an estimated walking time of two hours; the paths and junctions are easy to follow and the surface is smooth. The different distances, walking times and surfaces make the two circular trails directly comparable.

Local Traditions

In Navarrete, visitors can tour wineries and discover the range of wine-tourism activities on offer. At Alfarería Antonio Naharro Flores, visitors can observe both the traditional manual production of ceramics on the potter’s wheel and the entire manufacturing process; a collection of historic pieces is also displayed there.

Alfarería El Torero organises pottery workshops for children and older visitors. Visits can be arranged there free of charge by prior appointment. Since 2009, the N.A.CE. has taken place every July in Navarrete as a pottery and ceramics fair with numerous accompanying activities. Wine and pottery are considered Navarrete’s two representative local products; their traditional production has survived in modernised form to this day. As part of the wine-tourism offering at Bodegas FyA, visitors can see a ceramics museum with around 1,000 pieces dating from the 16th to the 20th century.

Getting Around

The Oficina de Turismo of the Ayuntamiento de Navarrete provides visitors with information about wine tourism, pottery, the Camino de Santiago, accommodation and routes. From Logroño, Navarrete can be reached via the LO-20 towards Vitoria until the junction with the A-12 towards Burgos; the AP-68 also has an exit within the municipality.

For the higher-level travel overview: La Rioja.