Step by Step on The Way of Saint James
Prologue
May 2018.
It’s been about fifteen years since I attended a conference on The Way of Saint James, where a young woman shared her experience as a pilgrim, accompanied by a photographic reportage.
To this day, I cannot pinpoint exactly what struck me most about what I saw and heard that evening. Certainly, I was fascinated by the enthusiasm with which the speaker embellished her story, as well as by the uniqueness of the “journey.” Beyond these two tangible aspects, something intangible had already taken root within me back then, leading me to say – One day, I want to live this same experience too! –
Over the following years, I deepened my knowledge of The Way, by listening to other experiences, reading articles and stories, and watching documentaries.
Each time, I felt a renewed desire to go myself. It was an inner pull that I could not rationally explain.
On Christmas night in 2015, long past midnight, before going to bed, I started flicking through the TV channels - giving the eel a little more time to come to terms with its fate, already fulfilled.
That’s how I stumbled upon the film The Way by Emilio Estevez, starring Martin Sheen.
It’s a gripping story about four pilgrims of different nationalities who meet along “The Way” to Santiago and complete the entire route together, ending at the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite their contrasting personalities and the varied reasons that drove them to undertake The Way, they share a desire to find meaning in their lives.
Through the experiences they share day after day, a strong and unbreakable bond develops among them.
Given the late hour, I thought—I'll just watch ten minutes, then turn it off—but instead, engrossed once again in the experience of The Way of Saint James, I stayed glued to the screen until deep into the night.
And once again, the desire to set off was reignited within me.
In ancient times, people undertook the journey to the burial site of the Apostle James (Santiago in Spanish) purely for religious reasons—acts of worship, devotion, and penance. At that time, any pilgrimage was seen as a male prerogative.
Nowadays, men and women of all ages and social backgrounds walk The Way of Saint James, and many are motivated by reasons other than religion.
There are countless reasons why someone might choose to embark on The Way, and the most common include: “self-discovery,” often triggered by a career or relationship crisis; “breaking the routine,” stepping away from daily life seen as the only possible reality; “determination,” proving to oneself—and others—the ability to achieve a goal; “physical activity,” completing an 800-kilometre route on foot or by bike; “socialising,” seizing the chance to meet new people from all over the world.
Finally, the reason that likely unites most pilgrims is not knowing or not having a specific reason for starting The Way.
As for me, I can definitely say that I fall into this last category, though I can also see myself reflected in some of the others.
However, the motivation that ultimately pushed me to set off toward Santiago de Compostela was the desire to take a “slow journey”—to give my eyes the time to see and my mind the time to remember.
I have travelled extensively around the world, often crossing oceans to reach distant continents, sometimes even venturing to the antipodes. These trips were always made in relatively short times: a few hours on a plane, and I’d find myself thousands of kilometres from Italy, hardly aware of the vast distance covered.
Given today’s rapid transportation, China and the United States might as well border Friuli and Piedmont, while South Africa could just as easily be in northern Africa, just beyond the Strait of Sicily.
These were the main reasons why I developed the desire to walk The Way of Saint James. I wanted to complete a route where distances would be measured by the number of my steps and time marked by the effort to take them; where an hour equated to covering four or five kilometres, not a plane trip between Rome and Milan.
I longed to think like I did at five years old when I took my first train journey from Catania to Acireale, just fifteen kilometres away. I travelled on a very slow train that stopped at every small station, and as I gazed out the window, I carefully observed every part of the route.
The impression I was left with was that I had travelled a great distance.
When I returned, I was thrilled by my experience and, in my childlike innocence (which I might still retain), I still remember proudly telling everyone that I had passed through so many “cities.”
***
Having decided to walk The Way of Saint James, setting off wasn’t something I could plan overnight.
Certain conditions needed to align: I required about forty days free; the departure date had to be set in advance to allow time to plan the logistics and do some physical training; and the chosen time of year had to offer mild weather.
From a meteorological perspective, I leaned toward spring or autumn, ruling out the other two seasons due to unfavourable conditions—scorching heat in summer, and intense cold with rain, snow, wind, and who knows what else in winter.
Waiting for all these variables to align favourably caused time to pass, leading me to postpone the departure year after year.
In December 2017, after ending an unhappy and wholly unsatisfying work relationship, I made the decision irrevocably:
– In spring, I will leave for The Way of Saint James. –
The exact date was determined by the price of the plane ticket, opting for the cheapest day: 9 May 2018.
As chance would have it, that date coincided with a very sad day I had experienced a few years earlier. I chose to see the coincidence as a good omen for the success of the “journey” I was about to embark on.
I dedicated my Way of Saint James to my parents, taking for them all the steps they could no longer take in the final years of their lives.
| © Aldo Lardizzone 2020 |  |
CREATIVE COMMONS |