The Way of St. James: Ellbögen – Igls/Vill

As the devout St. James pilgrims coming from Brenner reach Ellbögen, they are welcomed by panoramic views that are truly overwhelming even by Tyrolean standards. The Nordkette mountain range appears like a wall, as if it is trying to protect the city of Innsbruck, home to St. James' Cathedral, in the valley below.

The Tyrolean section of The Way of St. James leads from Ellbögen to Innsbruck and partially follows the route of the old Roman road. At the primary school in Patsch, traces of Roman wagons can even still be seen engraved deep into the street. The zealous pilgrims continue past Igls and Vill before reaching the edge of the alpine plateau above Innsbruck, with the city spread out in the valley below. What a sight! You would struggle to find a view of any other state capital that compares to that of the view of Innsbruck from The Way of St. James.

The descent down into the city is a pure delight and leads via the Cistercian abbey in Wilten to St. James' Cathedral in the centre of Innsbruck. If you take a closer look at the frescoes in the cathedral, you will see various representations of St James, for example in the form of a silver bust. 

A description of this stage can be found here