Required equipment: Sporty clothes, shoes, a notebook and a personal computer

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This  course aims to reflect on the Way of St. James as a cultural product  that can be explored in an educational context. The Way of St. James,  also known as Camino de Santiago, has been considered a European  Cultural Itinerary since 1987, since it contributed to the  standardization of a European identity and the cultural landscape of the  continent.

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Cultural  heritage education (CHE) is one of the main aims of the European  Heritage Strategy for the 21st Century (ST21). Therefore, the trainees  will start with the case of the Camino de Santiago to then be able to  elaborate strategies of cultural heritage education in their countries.  In this context, Portuguese culture will be promoted through the Way,  which will show the participants that different cultural identities can  complement and enrich each other, shaping a European cultural identity.

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Portugal  is the stage for several routes of the Way of Saint James. The various  routes of Santiago are made official through the institution Oficina do  Peregrino and to do so they undergo a process of study by historians  about the places where a certain route passed. As the medieval pilgrims  used already existing roads, such as the Roman ones, the routes  themselves are journeys through time and heritage. To distinguish the  routes, each path has its name. Throughout this course we will cover the  Central Way, the Torres Way, the Geira Way, the Minhoto Ribeiro Way and  the Coastal Way. We will cover some kilometers of these routes, in the  cities of Braga and Porto, and we will see patrimonial elements that  connect us to the way, such as the legend related to the Praça de  Santiago, in Guimarães, or the old pilgrims' hospital in Viana do  Castelo. Get ready for a journey through time made step by step!