Would you spend the night in a place with no heat or electricity that was built 500 years ago and is now in ruin? The donativo at San Anton is such a place. It carries a sense of history and magic that attracts a certain type of pilgrim.
A donativo is a place that you can spend the night and all that is expected is a donation based on what you can afford. It is run by volunteers whose lives match the beauty of such a place.
We arrived at San Anton in the early afternoon. The inside walls radiated heat on what was otherwise a very cold Spanish spring day. An Italian lady, Monia, is the volunteer who runs the place. Her warmth and enthusiasm for San Anton is unmatched. While most Camino lodgings are crowded, there were only 4 other Pilgrims who joined us for the night, a lady from Canada, a man from Hungary, and two Italian men. Each brought special qualities to the place as if they had been selected to turn off of the road here.
Dinner was a communal meal in which all participated in the preparation, but of course was brought together by the Italians. The result was a lot of very good, healthy, vegetarian food, bread, and red wine.
As the sun set, the once beautiful rose window, long missing it’s stained glass, brought to life an image of it’s past glory on an adjacent wall.
Later that night a full moon rose through yet another window.
Pictures can only hint at the beauty of San Anton. Thank you to Kerri Daniels for suggesting that we spend the night here. It’s memory will always be with us.
Our double bunk bed.
Dining area.
The beauty continues on the next day’s walk with fields of red poppies.
Somewhere Along the Way 
Another magical night. I especially love your San Anton photos and story. I missed this amazing albergue, but feel like I’ve been there and maybe someday I will. Did you sleep under the stars? Ultreia, amigos 👣
LikeLike