"I used to go to the mountains a lot with my grandfather and my mother and we always took the wineskin with us". From that family moment came the project Kirolarru, by the student of design Ana Andueza Munárriz. This object has been chosen by the visitors of the Estella Tourist Office as the best of the exhibition 'report / Memories', formed by works of the students of 3rd year of design of the School of Architecture of the University of Navarra.

The contest has been organized by the General Administration of Tourism and the Councilor of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Regional Government, Rebeca Esnaola, attended the School of Architecture to submit the award, a batch of gastronomic products of Navarra. "This project is a way of highlighting the value of the Camino de Santiago and for younger generations to appreciate it," said the councilor. For his part, the School's director , Carlos Naya, added: "Pilgrims pass through our campus all year round, so we have the Camino very present. Undoubtedly, it is a reflection of the international outreach of Navarra".

The project, carried out at partnership with the Government of Navarra, consisted of creating objects to serve as a souvenir for pilgrims and visitors of their passage through the region. "It is essential that students can develop projects in a real framework , especially in 3rd grade, when they are closer to entering the professional world. The ideal would be to be able to market them, the level is very good," explained María Villanueva, one of the teachers at School of Architecture who led the activity. Precisely, the General Administration of Tourism hopes to be able to "reproduce this souvenir object as a promotional element in the various promotional actions throughout the year".

Rebeca Esnaola, Councilor of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Government of Navarra, and Ana Andueza, student of design, with her award winning project , Kirolarru

An object to share

The winning student says that "it was a surprise" to learn that her object had been chosen as the best among the 10 that were exhibited at the Estella Tourist Office.

Kirolarru is a wineskin inspired by the pilgrim's gourds, containers that were part of the medieval pilgrim's classic attire, along with the staff and the bag. "From the first moment I thought of making my own version of the object. I researched and saw that two of the values of the Camino de Santiago are gastronomy and being with others. The wineskin reflects them perfectly: it is a product from Navarre and it is passed from hand to hand, you share it with other people," explains Ana Andueza. 

Apart from the shape, it also differs from the traditional wineskin in the material. "I chose the neoprene lining so that it can hold any liquid and withstand more extreme temperatures," he says. As a saying on the road goes, "without a good wineskin, don't walk the road."