Navarrete
Camino Frances
Navarrete has been fought over so many times that very little of its medieval fabric survives. What remains is a compact hilltop town with a handful of covered arcades along the main street — soportales that hint at a more prosperous past. The town is built around a hill, as was common on this otherwise flat terrain, and the layout is straightforward: you walk in one end and out the other.
The pottery tradition here is the real distinction. Navarrete is the last surviving pottery center in La Rioja and one of the most important in northern Spain. Families like the Naharros and Torrados have been working the local clay for generations. At one point, 70% of the town's population was involved in ceramics. The signature piece is the Navarrete jug — wider than it is tall, with a glazed apron at the rim. If you have room in your pack and want a genuine Riojan souvenir, this is where to buy it.
The Iglesia de la Asunción, started in 1553 and finished a century later, has a Baroque retablo worth stepping inside for. The church keeps limited hours, but it's worth trying the door.
Climb to the Tedeón, where the castle once stood, for a picnic area and views over the surrounding vineyards and farmland. Several albergues and pensiones operate in town. Bars and restaurants line the main street, and a small supermarket covers provisions.
Market day is Wednesday. The Virgen and San Roque are celebrated in mid-August. San Miguel, the patron saint, is honored on September 29 during the grape harvest — the streets fill with the smell of must and the sound of bands.
The N.A.C.E. national ceramics fair takes place periodically, celebrating Navarrete's pottery heritage with exhibitions, demonstrations, and sales centered on the traditional terra sigillata techniques.
Navarrete's strategic hilltop position made it a target through the centuries. The castle, now gone, controlled the surrounding lowlands and changed hands between Navarra and Castile repeatedly.
The Hospital de San Juan de Acre was founded in 1185 to shelter pilgrims. It operated for centuries before falling into ruin. When the town cemetery was built in 1886, architect Luis Barrón salvaged the hospital's 13th-century Romanesque entrance and reassembled it as the cemetery gateway — you pass it on the way out of town. The portal has five slightly pointed archivolts with serrated decoration, and the capitals depict scenes of pilgrims eating, Saint George fighting the dragon, and — most famously — the legendary duel between Roland and the giant Ferragut.
On the approach from Logroño, you pass the ruins of the 12th-century Hospital de San Juan de Acre. Not much stands, but the footprint is visible. The original Romanesque entrance was salvaged and now serves as the gateway to the town cemetery — you'll see it as you leave.
Leaving Navarrete, the camino passes through open farmland. The terrain is gently rolling, with vineyards giving way to cereal fields as you climb toward the Alto de San Antón. About 2 km past Navarrete, a fork offers two options: left to Ventosa (adding roughly 800 m), or straight ahead on the main route. Both rejoin before the pass.
Accommodation in Navarrete.
| Albergue de Peregrinos de Navarrete 10€ 48 |
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| Albergue El Cántaro 15€ 28 |
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| Albergue La Casa del Peregrino Ángel 10-12€ 18 |
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| Albergue Pilgrim's 20€ 20 |
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| Albergue Buen Camino 12€ 10 |
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| Albergue A la Sombra del Laurel 15€ 30 Booking.com |
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| Ikigai Albergue 15€ 35 Booking.com |
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| Albergue La Iglesia 15€ 15 |
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