The name Compostela comes from campus stellae, or field of the star. From a simple chapel constructed on the site, the city of Santiago de Compostela developed and a sumptuous cathedral eventually arose. Travelers from all parts of Europe who went to Santiago de Compostela to worship Saint James, found accommodations in hospices and monasteries all along the route, and churches and cathedrals were built to provide further spiritual support to the pilgrims. The pilgrimages reached their height in the Middle Ages and were enormously important in revitalizing European culture and trade. The pilgrimages continue to this day -for spiritual reasons but also for adventure and for the exceptional landscapes and historical sights along the way.
Many travelers make the journey on foot, others on horseback and many more by car and tour bus.
The route is marked by signs bearing the Galician scallop shell, an important symbol for pilgrims in centuries past who attached scallop shells to their robes to prove they had indeed reached Galicia -the only region of Spain where scallops are harvested. Along the way visitors can admire quaint towns, churches and monasteries in Navarra and La Rioja, visit prestigious bodegas in Rioja wine country, see the breathtaking cathedrals of Burgos and Le n and pass through isolated villages with surprisingly wide main streets, or Royal Roads, that once accommodated throngs of pilgrims. For further information please visit Turespa a's web site. When the Romans first went to Spain their mission was to establish trade routes, and they concentrated on sending gold and silver from Spanish mines to Rome. One of the most important deposits of silver was in Asturias on Spain's northwestern Atlantic coast, but to reach Rome the precious metal had to be transported to southern Spain and to the Mediterranean Sea.