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Rioja
Noteworthy for being a stop on the Camino de Santiago (the pilgrim’s route to Santiago de Compostela), this medieval Riojan town has a storied history. Legend has it that a couple of pilgrims and their son stayed at an inn in the village where the innkeeper fell in love with the son. When she was rejected, she hid a silver cup in his bag to later accuse him of robbery. The pilgrim was tried and hanged. When his parents went to see the body of their son, they found that Santo Domingo had kept him alive. They told the miracle to the judge, who said that the young man was as alive as the cockerel and the hen that he was about to eat. The two birds stood up and started to cluck. To this day a hen and rooster are kept inside the cathedral and the town’s motto is: “Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where the hen clucked after being roasted.”
Sites worth seeing are the beautiful cathedral, which was begun in the Gothic style and also features Baroque and Romanesque elements, the old Pilgrim’s hospital, which is now a hotel and the convent of San Francisco. The Saint’s house is a good information center for those who want to learn more about the pilgrimage route.
Written by Gina Paoloni