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Wise Pilgrim APPAzofra is a quiet Riojan town that makes a practical breakfast stop if you set off from Nájera in the morning. The main street doubles as the Camino route — you walk straight through.
The municipal albergue is well-appointed, with double rooms rather than the usual open dormitories, and has a small plunge pool for hot afternoons. A parish albergue also operates. A couple of bars — Bar Sevilla and Bar Restaurante El Descanso del Peregrino — cover meals, and a small shop handles basics.
The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, sits at the top of the village with an embattled tower. Inside, a carving of Santiago Apóstol depicts him as a pilgrim rather than on horseback — the walking saint rather than the warrior.
On your way out of town, fill your water bottle at the Fuente de los Romeros, a medieval pilgrim fountain on the outskirts.
Azofra was founded during the Roman period and known as Ausebro. The name is Arabic in origin — roughly meaning the obligation of vassals to work the lord's land — a reminder of the centuries of Moorish influence in the region.
In 1168, Doña Isabel founded a pilgrim hospital here with a church dedicated to San Pedro and a cemetery for pilgrims who died on the way. The hospital operated until the 19th century, though no physical remains survive. The town's identity has always been shaped by the Camino — the main street follows the pilgrim route exactly.
The camino between Azofra and Santo Domingo de la Calzada passes through rolling farmland and the Rioja Alta Golf Club, where pilgrims share the bar with golfers — one of the Camino's odder juxtapositions. The route no longer goes through Cirueña but passes adjacent to it; a short detour left on the main road brings you to a coffee stop if needed. Ciriñuela has been separated from the camino by a residential development, but a bar is still accessible with a brief detour. About 15 km of easy, mostly flat walking to Santo Domingo.
