Vilanova de Arousa

Vilanova de Arousa, a peaceful maritime village in the Ria of Arousa, is an important literary and Jacobean stop on the Route of Father Sarmiento and, especially, on the Spiritual Variant of the Portuguese Way. It is worldwide known for being the birthplace of writer Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, and its native house is today a fascinating museum. For pilgrims, Vilanova is the climax of the second stage of the Spiritual Variant and the starting point of the third: the maritime-fluvial crossing of the Translatio. It is from its port where the boats that ascend the Ulla river to Padrón set sail, recalling the legendary journey of the remains of Saint James. This makes Vilanova a first-class Jacobean enclave. The locality offers the pilgrim an authentic marine atmosphere, with beaches, a pleasant seafront promenade and a gastronomy based on the products of the ria. It is an stage that unites literature, sea and the deepest legend of the Way of Saint James.