The Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James) for dummies

This book was born from the idea of ​​providing useful advice and suggestions to those who are about to embark on the Camino de Santiago for the first time.
I walked them all: in 2006 the Camino Francés, from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to Fisterra, in 2008 the Via de la Plata from Seville, in 2010, the Jacobean holy year, the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo and the stage from Fisterra to Muxía, in 2012 the Camino del Norte. I put the figures in a column, I try to add them. Three thousand kilometers, exactly, on foot.
I got some information from the Internet, I checked it by comparing it with my personal experience, I tried to provide a complete and updated report. In this book you will find:
- a historical-religious introduction on the figure of St. James and the origin of the pilgrimage;
- an overview of the routes to Santiago today;
- detailed advice on which Way to choose and how far to go per day;
- a small glossary of the most frequent terms: albergue, botafumeiro, Compostela, credential, donativo, sello, ...;
- how to prepare for the Way: how much to train and how, where to find information, the most up-to-date websites and the best apps, how to book the flight, what are the average daily costs;
- which shoes to use;
- how to prepare the backpack: what things are necessary and what are superfluous;
- the symbols and rituals along the Way, in Santiago and in Fisterra;
- the new ways of accessing the Portico of Glory, after a decade of delicate restorations.
From time to time, I inserted short passages taken from the diaries I wrote, to give the sense of the pilgrimage, the scent of encounters, the flavor of the extraordinary emotions experienced.
Enjoy the reading and buen camino!