Vilanova de Arousa

Vilanova de Arousa is a coastal town and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, Galicia, situated at the southeastern corner of the Ría de Arousa. The town has a traditional fishing and shellfishing character, with a working harbour and the mussel and oyster culture that defines the economy of the Arousa estuary.

Vilanova de Arousa is best known to pilgrims as the embarkation point of the Camino Espiritual boat crossing, the river and sea voyage that re-enacts the legendary transportation of the body of Saint James from Jaffa to the Galician coast. Boats carrying pilgrims depart from Vilanova to cross the ría and navigate the Ulla river to Pontecesures, near Padrón, the traditional site of the apostle’s arrival.

The town is also noted as the birthplace of the Spanish novelist Valle-Inclán, whose modernist literary heritage is commemorated in the town. For pilgrims, the harbour departure is the emotional and symbolic centrepiece of the Espiritual variant.