Page 410 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

or bathed in glorious after colourful motif of
sunshine, the cathedral, biblical scenes drench the
arguably Spain’s premier vaults and arches of this BRAIS SEARA / GETTY IMAGES ©
Gothic masterpiece, extraordinary hall.
exudes a glorious, almost
luminous quality. The 54 p413
show-stopping facade has The Drive » Taking the N120
a radiant rose window, from León to Astorga will keep
three richly sculpted you on the route of the Camino.
doorways and two mus- It’s a 50km (one hour) drive.
cular towers. After going There’s also the much faster
AP71 motorway, but what’s the
through the main en- point in coming all this way to
trance, lorded over by the drive on a road like that?!
scene of the Last Supper,
an extraordinary gallery
of vidrieras (stained- e Astorga
glass windows) awaits. On a map of Spain,
Even older than León’s Astorga comes across
cathedral, the Real as rather insignificant,
Basílica de San Isidoro but this medium-sized
(h7.30am-11pm) provides town has history and
a stunning Romanesque attractions totally out of
counterpoint to the proportion to its provin-
former’s Gothic strains, cial status today.
SPAIN 29 NORTHERN SPAIN PILGRIMAGE
with extraordinary
frescoes in the attached The Drive » It’s just a 7km
Panteón, the main high- (15 minute) drive from Astorga
light. Fernando I and to Castrillo de los Polvazares
Doña Sancha founded the along the rural LE142. Note that
nonresidents are not allowed
church in 1063 to house to drive into Castrillo de los
the remains of the saint, Polvazares, so park up in one of
as well as the remains of the parking areas on the edge of
themselves and 21 other the village.
early Leónese and Castil-
ian monarchs. The main
basilica is a hotchpotch f Castrillo de los
of styles, but the two Polvazares
main portals on the One of the prettiest vil- spirit of the Camino can
southern facade are pure lages along the Camino – if be strongly felt.
Romanesque. Attached a little twee – is Castrillo The Drive » Continue along
to the Real Basílica de de los Polvazares. It con- the LE142 towards Ponferrada
San Isidoro, Panteón sists of little but one main (one hour 20 minutes; 53km).
Real (admission €5; cobbled street, a small The road runs pretty much
h10am-1.30pm & 4-6.30pm church and an array of beside the Camino and you’ll
Mon-Sat, 10am-1.30pm Sun) well-preserved 18th- pass through a string of
houses the remain- century stone houses. If attractive stone villages, most
of which have churches topped
ing sarcophagi, which you can be here before or with storks nests. It’s worth
rest with quiet dignity after all the tour buses stopping in Rabanal del Camino
beneath a canopy of some have left then it’s an with its 18th-century Ermita del
of the finest Romanesque absolute delight of a place Bendito Cristo de la Vera Cruz (a
frescoes in Spain. Motif and one in which the hermitage).

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