Herzegovina, Ragusa, & Montenegro (20-26/04/2025)

 My brother and I rented a car from Sarajevo and left around midday, heading south, driving through the nice road between Sarajevo and Mostar and eventually passing the latter to reach, a few kilometers later, the town of Počitelj. Once there, we parked the car next to the main street and then headed to visit the town on foot. It is considered one of the most beautiful old towns in the country and is protected as a national monument. This medieval and Ottoman-era fortress village is nestled in a rocky amphitheater along the Neretva River and features an architectural blend of medieval and Ottoman stone-roofed houses and narrow stairways that weave through the town. Počitelj was built most presumably during the rule of the Bosnian king Tvrtko I, and was later under the control of the Kosača noble family. Between 1464 and 1471, during the years following the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia, the town was fortified by Vladislav Herzegović with the support of Dubrovnik, King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, and the Pope, and a Hungarian garrison was housed there. However, in 1471, following a brief siege, the town was eventually conquered by the Ottomans. On the lower part of town, we passed by the Šišman Ibrahim Pasha Hamam and the nearby han, or inn. Passing then through the ancient gate, we started following a staircase leading up, with to our right the Sahat Kula, or clock tower, and to the left the Madrasa also named after Šišman Ibrahim Paša. Among the many traditional Ottoman residences found as we headed up was the Gavrankapetan House, built in the 16th century, which became the residence of an artists' colony between 1961 and 1975, one of which was the Italian painter Vittorio Miele. Alongside the majority of the buildings in town, it was set on fire and badly damaged during the recent war, and restored in 2003. Right above the house, we then reached the main and only mosque, Šišman Ibrahim Paša Mosque, built in 1563 and with a nice traditional dome and single minaret. After visiting the interior, we headed out and continued our way up the stairs until we reached the citadel. It was built by King Tvrtko I of Bosnia in 1383, and had a role in controlling a merchant route between the Bosnian inland and the Adriatic sea coast along the valley of the Neretva river, hence its dominant position on a hilltop on the northwestern end of the old town. It features a thick and tall circular tower, the Gavran-captain tower, surrounded by several sets of walls, and connected to the rest of the walls that encircle the rest of the town. As we headed up the tower, we could admire the beautiful view all around us. We passed some more nice stone houses scattered here and there with lovely gardens and plants all around, and reached the highest part of town where the upper gate is set. Nearby, we walked to the Pašina Tabija, the bastion set on the southern side, overlooking the town and connected to the rest of the fortifications. From here we could admire a beautiful view, and without anyone around us. At that point, we started heading back down, through the town, and eventually to the car. We then drove for a bit and reached the Kravica Waterfall, a large tufa cascade on the Trebižat River and one of the most popular sites in the country. Especially during the summer season, and due to its proximity to Croatia, Međugorje and also Mostar, it is a very popular site, but strangely once we arrived there, we found the parking rather empty. What also surprised us was that the ticket office and all the facilities around were closed, and there was a lonely guard who would just wave people in. As we descended from the parking to the waterfall, we also found out that the restaurants, kiosks, and all the facilities like sunbeds and umbrellas were all closed, quite strange despite it still being springtime. There were a few people around, but definitely much less than I expected. The amazing thing was also that, due to the season, the waterfall was in full-blown mode, already hearing its roar as we approached it, and even before seeing it. Rather than a single waterfall, it actually consists of 20 separated falls, roughly 25 to 28 meters in height and cascading into a lake of about 120 meters in radius. We enjoyed walking down to the lakeside and admiring the full force of these falls right in front of us. After a bit of walking around, we decided to head back to the car and continue our trip. Our next stop was the village of Međugorje, which was a short ride away and with views of the mountains in the distance as we approached it. Since 1981, the village has become a popular site of Catholic pilgrimage due to Our Lady of Medjugorje, a purported series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six local children, which some people believe are still happening to this day. The Vatican allows for these pilgrimages, but with no declaration that the purported apparitions actually took place. Despite being a bit like Fatima, the place wasn't so bad, obviously quite modern and a bit empty, but still, we reached the main church dedicated to St James and attended the mass outside. The temperature was still fine even as sunset was approaching. We then walked a bit through the village, seeing the many souvenir shops, and then drove to the nearby Apparition Hill, where the series of apparitions was said to have taken place in 1981. A quite hard and slippery way up the hill, completely covered in rocks, led us to the top, where a statue of Mary was set, and many pilgrims were just sitting and praying around it. We enjoyed the setting and the view from up there, just as the sun set, and then made our way back down, having a bit of trouble with just the phone light and the many slippery rocks. We even saw some making their way up barefoot, which was quite surprising and impressive. After that, it was time to get back in the car and drive to Mostar, where we first checked into our accommodation and then decided to have a stroll through the town at night. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant called Podrum and then walked some more, also taking the chance to see the old bridge without any tourists. 

The following morning, after an early rise, we decided to have a walk through the old town and see it without the flock of tourists that usually comes later in the day. After that, we got in the car and then drove south to continue our trip. We reached the Radimlja Necropolis, an open-air necropolis with the famous stećci tombstones and part of the Unesco World Heritage Site, which has more of these sites scattered throughout the country. This one specifically is the most representative, the one with the most amount, and with probably the best decorations. Unfortunately, once there, we found out it was closed, and we were rather bummed out. We could walk right next to the tombstones, but there was a fence encircling the site, so we could only see them from a distance. We initially thought to just try to go around a find a way through, but there was a police car parked right in front and so we decided otherwise. To feel a little better, we then decided to drive further out into the countryside to a small village called Bjelojevići, where we saw another stećak necropolis, that of Boljuni. We were the only ones there and proceeded to walk among the tombstones set in a nice green valley surrounded by trees. The necropolis dates back to the second half of the 14th century, with most of the stećaks dating to the 15th and some from the 16th century. A total of 269 tombstones are to be found there, most coffin-shaped, followed by slab-type ones, capstone ones, and just a few four cross-shaped ones. The majority are simple tombstones, while a minority, around 30% are decorated. The most common decorations were the cross, the bent willow branch with a trefoil, the shield with a sword, as well as rosettes, crescent moons, hunting scenes, tournaments, circles, dancing figures, etc. It is also one of the most significant necropolises in the country when it comes to preserved inscriptions, holding a total of 19, and written in Cyrillic script in the vernacular with elements of the Church Slavonic literary language. We went around observing the many tombstones scattered around, and then also saw the ancient circular well right next to the site. After the visit, we then drove to the nearby town of Stolac to visit it. We parked the car and then continued on foot, starting our visit on the western end of town. The place is known to have been inhabited since ancient times. Excavations of a Roman settlement with spas, and buildings with mosaics were found, most probably what was once the town of Diluntum, founded after the nearby Daorson, capital of the Illyrian tribe of the Daorsi, was destroyed by the Dalmati around 45 B.C. What is present now is the Ottoman architecture, which developed much later. We first saw the Podgradska ćuprija, a nice 18th-century Ottoman bridge over the Bregava River, and nearby the Podgradska džamija, a mosque dating to the 18th century. It was closed, so we continued on, passing by the Turkovica Kula, or Turk's Tower, built between the 17th and 18th centuries, and then walking along the town's main street to reach the eastern part. Here we saw the Čaršija Mosque, also known as the Sultan Selim Mosque, built in 1519 with a traditional sloping roof and a single minaret. The mosque's entrance features some nice colored murals, while in front of it stands an old well, fountain, and inn, which once made up the Čaršija or marketplace of the town. Nearby was also the clock tower, built in the 17th century and, like the rest of the buildings around, was completely destroyed during the war in 1993 and had to be rebuilt in 2004. Walking northwards further up the town, we reached another mosque, the Ćuprijska džamija, built in the 18th century, and next to it stands the beautiful Inat ćuprija, another Ottoman stone bridge from the 17th century over the Bregava river. As we continued upstream following the beautiful blue waters of the river, we passed a tekkija and then a couple of old stone mills before reaching the Provalije Waterfall. This series of waterfalls is set in a circular fashion and formed by the Bregava river, where a picturesque backdrop and surrounded by beautiful, lush greenery. At that point, we turned around, walked back the way we came, and then started heading up a hill where the Vidoški Fort, or old town of Stolac, is set. Possibly, an ancient Illyrian fortification was already present, which was later expanded, and around the 15th century was mentioned as a fortified town in the lands of the duke Stjepan Kosača. Within the walls were a variety of military, residential, religious, and commercial buildings as well as 13 defensive towers. Up to the year 1465, it was governed by Duke Kosača, after which it fell under Ottoman rule and was further developed, making it then the largest fortified town in Herzegovina until the 19th century. During the Austro-Hungarian period, the fort in the highest part of the complex was built. We toured the ruins of the town and admired the views from the walls, which were really nice, and with no other tourists but us. After the visit, we headed back down and got in the car to continue our journey. We drove south through open plateaus surrounded by bare grey mountains, with very impressive sights along the way, especially the wide Popovo Polje. We eventually reached the Špilja Vjetrenica, a cave set close to the sea and the border with Croatia. We arrived there, and there was no one around, nor at the ticket office. We thought that maybe the site was closed, but as we approached the gate, we found it was open. Apparently, there was a visit taking place, so we waited till the group was done and then bought the tickets to visit it. We were the only two visitors, which was quite surprising, and the guide, a girl from a village nearby, started our tour. It is the largest cave in the country, and had just been inscribed into the Unesco World Heritage Site a year before. The cave has been explored and described to a total distance of 7,324 meters in length, and of this, the main channel is about 2.5 km long. It runs from the edge of Popovo Polje to the south, and based on the analysis of the terrain, geologists have predicted that the cave could stretch all the way to the Adriatic Sea, some 15–20 km away from its entrance. The cave forms part of the Trebišnjica river system, and its habitat is an intermediate between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, denoted by a thin layer of water moving over vertical rock surfaces. Vjetrenica is among the caves in the world with the most important biodiversity hotspots for cave-dwelling fauna, notably subterranean aquatic fauna. It is home to a number of globally threatened vertebrate species, and the only subterranean tubeworm in the world, as well as a diversity of plant species endemic to the Balkans. Additionally, several of the species found in Vjetrenica Cave are tertiary and pre-tertiary relict species, meaning that many of them can be considered living fossils whose closest relatives went extinct a long time ago. Once entering the cave, we marveled at the beautiful scenery, with the different rock formations ever changing as we headed deeper. The water flowing through created different-sized areas and lakes, and formations that were really interesting to see.  The guide told us about the cave's geology and exploration history, telling us also how she, together with other cavers, often explores and is still discovering new areas. Once outside the cave, we thanked her and headed to the nearby Monastery of Zavala, overlooking the plateau from the hillside, which gives the impression of a hermitage monastic residence. This Orthodox monastery dates to the early 16th century and inside features frescoes from 1619. What would become Saint Basil of Ostrog, who was born in the nearby village of Mrkonjići, was also a monk in this monastery. After seeing the complex, and a couple of typical black dressed monks, we admired the views and then got back in the car to drive on. After a bit of driving along the way, we stopped at another monastery, Tvrdoš Monastery. Located on the bank of the Trebišnjica river, it was established in the 15th or 16th centuries, probably on an older church, but was then destroyed at the end of the 17th century during the Turkish Venetian Wars. The current buildings date to 1924, and the monastery is now renowned for its wine production and its wine cellars, one of which dates to the 15th century. We couldn't really see the inside of the church, as there was a mass going on, so we walked around the complex. After we got back in the car and drove the last kilometers to reach the city of Trebinje. Once there, we first drove up a hill overlooking the city, the Crkvina Hill, where the Hercegovačka Gračanica church, a modern copy from 2000 of the Gračanica Monastery found in Kosovo. The church wasn't open, but provided a nice backdrop to the great view of the city and surrounding landscape just as the sun was setting. After that, we then drove to the city, parked our car, and headed to the accommodation, which was inside the old town. The old town of Trebinje is fully encircled by a medieval wall and set on the right bank of the Trebišnjica River, one of the longest sinking rivers in the world, meaning that its length is sometimes above and sometimes under the ground. Unfortunately, as we entered the old town, we saw that the whole streets were disheveled as there were repair works going on. However, the town was still rather lively and full of young people. Before dinner, we had a stroll through town, first passing by the Sultan Ahmed, or Emperor's Mosque, built at the beginning of the 18th century, and as the majority of mosques in the country had to be rebuilt after being destroyed during the war in 1993. We then passed the Sahat Kula, or clock tower, dating to the 18th century, and with the clock acquired from Venice. Moving on, we passed the other mosque of the old town, the Osman-pašina mosque, also dating to the early 18th century, and then came out through the western and main gate quite monumental and different from the usual ones found around Bosnia. In front of it opened up Trg Slobode, or Freedom Square, with its chestnut trees and stone-flagged pavements surrounded by old stone buildings which had a similarity with coastal Croatian towns; the border and the sea are just a few kilometers away.  We walked through the nice Jovan Dučić Street. Though from far away and in the dim light seemed quite picturesque revealed then to be a bit Disneyesque and probably all modern. The fountain at its center, in fact, was dated 2001, and probably the buildings all around it as well. A short walk away, we passed by the catholic Cathedral, which was closed, and on the other side of the Temple of Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, a nice Orthodox church from the late 19th century with very bright modern frescoes inside. For dinner, we opted for a restaurant back in the old town called Kolo, and after that, we then spotted a place serving huge and nice-looking crepes and got one each with Nutella for just 4KM or 2 euros. The following morning, we woke up very early and had a quick round of the old town, this time crossing over the river to admire the town and its walls reflected on the water and to have a clear view of the fortified nucleus from afar. After that, a short drive led us to the border with Croatia, but despite the early hour, it took us around one hour to cross. Finally, once on the other side, we started approaching the seaside city of Ragusa, nowadays Dubrovnik, from above, admiring already its impressive walled town right on the water. We found a parking lot, but just as I was getting out of the car, my credit card, which I had taken out to book tickets for the museums, slipped out of my hand and ended up under the hand brake. Unfortunately, it was impossible to retrieve; we tried asking a nearby gas station, but to no avail. Late,r we even stopped at the local Sixt car rental, but also there nobody could help. At that point, we just gave up, having already wasted too much time, and decided to just block it after the rental. We managed to buy the museum ticket, which we wanted specifically for the walls, but also included all other city museums. The price was insanely high, 45 euros per person, like all prices in the city. From the parking lot, we got a local bus which led us to the old town right by the western gate, the Pile Gate, where we started our visit. It was impressive how many tourists there were already; there were so many tour groups, many from cruises, and the whole bridge leading to and through the gate was so overcrowded. We expected it to be crowded, but not as crowded as it actually turned out to be. Once through the gate, we reached the old town proper, and in front of us the long Stradun, or main street, cutting through the city west to east. At the beginning of the street was Onofrio's Large Fountain, built by the Neapolitan architect Onofrio della Cava between 1438 and 1440. The fountain was badly damaged by the 1667 earthquake, which also destroyed three-quarters of all public buildings, and between 3,000 and 5,000 people were killed. Next to the fountain, we then entered the Franciscan friary church, originally built during the 14th century but damaged during the earthquake and rebuilt in its current baroque form. Inside is the main altar by the sculptor Celia from Ancona from the early 18th century, while the five side altars were sculpted by the Venetian Giuseppe Sardi at the end of the 17th century. Inside the church is buried the local poet Giovanni Francesco Gondola, Ivan Gundulić, who wrote in the local Štokavian dialect, with influences from Latin, Venetian, and Central Italian; in fact, many of his works were mostly translations of Italian and Latin classics. His family, Gondola, which comes from the typical flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, was one of the main families in the Republic of Ragusa. The influential families in the region officially spoke Latin until the 15th century, after which they shifted to the local Dalmatian Romance language. Other neo-romance languages spoken in the city included Tuscan and other forms of regional Italian, Venetian, spoken mainly in commercial contexts in the form of the colonial Venetian dialect. and forms of older setbo-croatian. Increased Slavic immigration from inland Dalmatia prompted the native Romance-speaking population of Ragusa, which dominated the oligarchic government, to attempt to ban the use of Slavic languages in official councils to counter this demographic shift. From the 16th century onwards, the Dalmatian language of Ragusa gradually began to give way to Illyrian Slavic in popular use, while a language derived from Italian became established as the language of culture. This Italo-Romance variety in use at the time was composed of Tuscan, Venetian, Lombard, and Apulian. It was more widespread among the educated classes (although education was still in Italian). Eventually, though, as seen by the aforementioned poet, it also ended up being used by many of the noble families later on. However, it is believed that, still at the beginning of the 19th century, Italian was the language spoken as a first language by about 33% of the Dalmatian population. Once outside the church, we noticed another church, that of San Salvatore, built in the 16th century, but which was closed. We continued along the main street, full of people, admiring the houses and buildings along the way, many also damaged during the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 when the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), by then composed primarily of Serbs, attacked the city. We turned right and headed deeper into the old town, reaching the nice Gundulić Square with at its center the monument to the poet unveiled in 1893. The unveiling highlighted the city's political divisions before World War I between the Croats and the Serb-Catholics. From the square, we continued on and walked up the Jesuit stairs to reach the Church of St. Ignatius and the former Jesuit college annexed to it. The church, built in a baroque form in 1699 by the architect Andrea Pozzo as a replica of the church St. Ignatius of Loyola in Campo Marzio in Rome, another Jesuit church. The interior features frescoes from the 18th century by Spanish-origin Sicilian Baroque painter Gaetano Garcia. From there, we then walked through some narrow, picturesque alleyways and then reached the eastern sea walls, with the St. John Fortress, which has protected the city's harbor since the 14th century, with modifications during the following two centuries. We entered the maritime museum, hosted on the upper floors of the fort, which was part of our museum ticket. Inside was the history and maritime past of Ragusa with a collection of maps, charters, objects, and miniature boats. Some of the descriptions were quite ridiculous and embarrassing to be put out to the public, one of which even claimed that Dubrovnik was the third largest maritime power in the world after Spain and the Netherlands. After the visit, we headed back into town and visited the Cathedral. Originally built between the 6th and 7th centuries in a Byzantine style, it was then rebuilt in Romanesque style thanks to a contribution by the English king Richard the Lionheart, as a votive for having survived a shipwreck near the island of Lokrum in 1192 on his return from the Third Crusade. After the earthquake, it was rebuilt in its current baroque form between 1673 and 1717 by the Italian architects Andrea Bufalini of Urbino, Francesco Cortese, Paolo Andreotti, Pier Antonio Bazzi, and Tommaso Maria Napoli, one after the other. Inside, though simple and airy, the main altar held a polyptych representing the Assumption by Tiziano from 1552. Outside the church, we then admired the nice elongated square running north to south, and on the side, the beautiful Rector's Palace, which used to serve as the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa between the 14th century and 1808. In 1435, the city-state decided to build a new palace after the previous one was destroyed by fire, so the Neapolitan master builder Onofrio della Cava, who had previously built the aqueduct, then erected a Gothic building with ornaments sculpted by the Milanese Pietro di Martino. A gunpowder explosion badly damaged this building in 1463 and thus needed to be rebuilt this time following the design of the famous Florentine architect Michelozzo, and the Venetian Giorgio Orsini from Sebenico. What came out was a mix of Gothic and Renaissance, particularly the beautiful front portico, and later, with some Baroque additions after the earthquake. We entered the building, which is now a museum, and visited the exhibitions inside, which contained artfully restored rooms with paintings, portraits, coats of arms, old objects, and coins, among many artifacts. Particularly noteworthy were the two bronze figures of the jacquemarts, which once stood on the town's clock tower, striking the time. They are known as Maro and Baro, or green ones, due to the patina that covered them over time, and they were created in 1478, most probably by the design of Michelozzo and master founder Michele di Giovanni of Fiesole. They predate the famous Mori of Venice by a few years and stood on the bell tower beating the time until 190,5 when they were then moved to the museum and replaced by a replica in 1929. Continuing on, we then reached the central courtyard of the palace, showing the layers of styles, from Gothic, through Renaissance, to Baroque as one went up. On the upper floor, we admire nice maiolica and porcelain, and then the restored administrative office and public halls of the Republic. Among the many paintings of Italian masters and local artists, there was a nice painting of St Blaise, patron saint of Ragusa, by Lorenzo di Marino or Lorenzo Bon, a Venetian Dalmatian born in Cattaro, now Montenegro. We also saw an interesting canvas with the coat of arms of the noble families of Ragusa, all of course with Italian names. Once we completed our tour of the palace, we headed out and continued along, reaching then the aforementioned clock tower, on Piazza della Loggia. Reaching a height of 31m, it was originally built in 1444, but after suffering damage after the 1667 earthquake, it started leaning and was unfrotunately resolved to be destroyed in 1928 and rebuilt the following year. Next to it stands the Palace of the Gran Guardia, originally in Gothic style but after the earthquake expanded and with a Baroque portal from 1708 by the Venetian architect Marino Gropelli. It was the residence of the admiral, commander-in-chief of the army. Below the palace stands the Little Onofrio's Fountain from 1441. On the northern side of the square is the beautiful Sponza Palace, built in a mixed Gothic and Renaissance style between 1516 and 1522 with clear Venetian influences, and which served to house the customs offices and related warehouses. Next up, we left the square and reached the nearby monastery of St Dominic, closed by the thick northeastern walls. Its church is a large single nave Gothic structure from the 14th and 15th centuries and features a portal on the southern side by Bonino da Milano. Once outside, we passed by two small churches, St Luke and Annunciation, both of which were closed, and after passing through the inner eastern gate, reached the Revelin Fortress. It was originally built in 1462 on the eastern side of the old town, where it faced the land approach, as there had been an unmistakable Ottoman danger after the recent fall of nearby Bosnia to Ottoman rule during that period. In 1538, the Senate hired Antonio Ferramolino to build a new, much stronger fortress, which became the strongest of the city's fortresses, safeguarding the eastern land approach to the city. Inside the fortress, we visited the archaeological museum, containing a nice collection of early medieval sculptures, architectural pieces, and objects of Ragusa and its environs. Particularly nice were the 9th to 11th-century decorated column capitals. After the visit to the museum, we walked through the Ploče Gate, the eastern city gate, and on the bridge over the moat, we had a beautiful view of the old harbor and old town. Once back through town, we walked along the main street, Stradun, and then reached another museum, part of our ticket, that one dedicated to Marino Darsa. He was born in Ragusa in the early 16th century, and like many other people of culture of the city spoke both in Italian and the local Shtokavian dialect, writing many lyric poems, pastorals, political letters and pamphlets, and comedies. Once outside, we walked by the church of St Vitus, which was closed, and then headed towards the main street to reach once again the monastery of St Francis. We visited the cloister and annexed museum by paying an entrance fee. There are actually two cloisters, an upper one, not visitable, and a lower, larger one. This latter one was built in the 13th century in a Romanesque-Gothic style, with arches and ornamented hexaphoras, rosettes, and capitals with various geometric, plant, human, and animal-like adornments. with arches sustained by 120 columns and 12 massive pilasters, and a central garden with a fountain topped by the statue of St Francis. The columns all had beautiful capitals featuring human, animal, plant, and geometric adornments and patterns. In the rooms around the cloister, we saw the small museum detailing religious objects and paintings, and the well-preserved pharmacy furniture from the 16th century. After the visit, it was time to finally head to the city's highlight, its impressive walls completely encircling the old with a length of 1,940 metres and reaching a maximum height of about 25 metres, and at certain points, especially on the land side, four to six meters thick. We headed up the walls access next to the Pile Gate, walking counterclockwise. We saw the Franciscan monastery from above, and next to it the long Stradun street and right below Onofrio's large fountain. Continuing on top of the walls, we reached the southwestern corner, where Fort Bokar is set, built as a two-story casemate fortress by Michelozzo from 1461 to 1463, jutting out towards the sea almost with its whole cylindrical volume. Right in front of it, across the small bay, we saw the large San Lorenzo Fortress, which we would visit the following morning. We continued walking on the walls, on the southern part, the one facing the sea, where the walls are much thinner, as they weren't already naturally more defensible. As we continued on along the ramparts, we admired the beautiful views over the sea to one side and the old town to the other, standing above the rooftops of the town buildings and having thus a clear view of the whole Ragusa. Once we reached St. John's Fort, we visited the small Pulitika Studio, inside a building right next to the walls. Here were many paintings by the local artist Đuro Pulitika, including a nice one of Venice. We continued on top of the walls, passing above the old harbor and then the Luka and Asimon towers, facing the Revelin Fortress and Ploče Gate. Here, we accessed the northern part of the walls, much thicker and more imposing than the rest. We walked above the Dominican Monastery and then over the many narrow alleys, departing straight down towards the main street. Walking further, we then reached the Menze Tower, originally built by Niciforo Ragnina from the Ragnina local noble family in 1319. The tower took its name from another local noble family, the Menze, who owned the ground upon which the tower was built. In the 15th century, around the earlier quadrilateral fort, Michelozzo designed a new round tower to withstand the new warfare technique and joined it to the system of low scarp walls. The full six-meter (20 feet) thick walls of the new tower had a series of protected gun ports. Giorgio da Sebenico continued the work on the tower, and thanks to the help of Italian engineers sent by Pope Pius II in 1463, at the height of the Turkish threat, it was then completed by 1464. This was also the highest point on the city walls, and from there we could admire a beautiful view of the old town and behind it the sea. We eventually arrived back to where we started, above the Franciscan Monastery, having taken us more than two hours to walk along the whole perimeter. We then decided to walk again as far as possible before closing time, so we started again heading on the southern walls facing the sea. That ended up being a really good choice, as we enjoyed the walls practically just to ourselves. We walked slowly along the southern part, admiring the beautiful sunset as it set behind the walls and the San Lorenzo fortress. We then eventually reached the Fort of St John and from there had to go down as we had passed closing time. We walked through town and headed towards our accommodation, where we showered and changed to then head out to look for a place to have dinner. We ended up choosing Amoret, right next to the Cathedral, where we had a pricy but decent fish meal. Then we were off to explore the town by night, devoid of basically the majority of the people from the daytime. After the nice walk taking us to all the major monuments and buildings, we were back at our accommodation right before midnight and finally ready to sleep.

The following morning we woke up early again, just after sunrise and and decided to walk another round through the old town before the crowds would arrive. Only workers were up at that time, starting their day, so the Stradun, like the night before, was nearly completely empty. We walked again to the nicest spot, where the Rector's Palace is set, and then through some of the tight alleys away from the main street and squares. We then had breakfast by grabbing some pastries from a bakery and headed out of the old town to visit the San Lorenzo Fortress, part of our ticket. Early in the 11th century, the Venetians attempted to build a fort on the same spot where the Fortress currently stands. If they had succeeded, the city would not be what it is today. Luckily for Ragusa, the city managed to get there first and built the fort. The building is a quadrilateral court with mighty arches and features three terraces, one over the other, slightly moved from each other, with powerful parapets. The fortress walls, which were exposed to the enemy fire, are almost 12 meters thick, while the large wall surface facing the city does not exceed 60 centimetres, and overall, the structure used to be defended with 10 large cannons. After climbing to its top, w Ie admired the beautiful view of the mighty sea walls and the old town enclosed within, right in front of us. After our visit, we headed back through the Pile Gate, into town, and went to visit the church of the Annunciation, an Orthodox church built in 1877 for the Serbian population. Continuing on, we then reached the church of St Blaise, which had been closed the day before, but was now open. This beautiful baroque church, dedicated to the city's patron saint, was built in 1715 by the Venetian Marino Gropelli, on a previous medieval church which, though it survived the earthquake of 1667 fairly well, burned down in 1706. The architecture and form of the church reminded me a lot of the ones in Venice, specifically Santa Maria Formosa, San Trovaso, and San Salvador. The interior, quite simple, features a nice main altar with at its center a gilded silver Gothic statue of Saint Blaise, crafted in the 15th century, with the saint showing in his left hand a scale model of the Romanesque church, which was destroyed by the earthquake in 1667. This statue miraculously survived the fire of 1706. It was time to go; after one last walk through town, we went to pick up our bags from the accommodation and then got a bus to the parking lot where we had left the car the day before. We got on and drove out of the city heading east. Along the way, we stopped at a viewpoint and admired the nice view of the old town from afar and above, impressed by its imposing walls even from such a distance. After some driving, we reached the border with Montenegro, taking much less time than the other one. A short drive from the border led us then to Herceg Novi, Castelnuovo as it used to be known, and still is in Italian. It was founded as a fortress in 1382 by the King of Bosnia, Tvrtko I Kotromanić, and named after Saint Stephen, but the name then stuck to the Italian for a new castle. Between 1482 and 1687, it was part of the Ottoman Empire, and then from 1687 to 1797 it belonged to the Republic of Venice, before passing on to different hands and eventually to the modern Montenegro. Once there, we parked the car and then visited, after paying an entrance fee, the upper fortress, known as Kanli Kula, as it was built by the Ottomans in 1539. When the Venetians took over, they expanded and refurbished it to adapt it to modern warfare and never lost it until the fall of the Republic. From up there, we had a nice view over the small town below and the sea all around. The town is, in fact, set close to the open sea at the entrance of the famous Bocche di Cattaro, or Bay of Kotor, a long and irregular winding bay composed of several smaller broad bays, united by narrower channels. After admiring the view, we exited and headed down through the old town. We reached the central Belavista Square, at the center of which stands the orthodox church of St Michael, built at the end of the 19th century, and next to it a modern fountain made to look like an old one. Not far from there, we reached the clock tower, 16m in height and built in 1667 under Ottoman rule, which also served as a city gate, hence the possibility of walking right through it. Right in front of it opens up the larger Nikola Djurkovic Square, surrounded by Italianate buildings, giving the area a proper Mediterranean look. Moving on, we passed through some nice small alleys until we reached the church of Saint Jerome, a mid-19th-century catholic church which replaced an older 17th-century one built by the Venetians. Another smaller church, set next to the previous, Saint Leopold, also originally built by Venetians and then replaced by a 19th-century one and dedicated to St. Leopold Mandic, who spent his life in Padova as a priest until his death in 1952. Heading further down, we then reached the Forte Mare, the lower fortress, also originally built by Trvtko I. It was expanded and refurbished first by the Ottomans and then by the Venetians, who gave it its current name, clearly proving its role as a guard to the city entrance from the sea. We walked along the seafront and then reached the small town beach, where there were already a few people enjoying the sun. We decided to have a sandwich at one of the eateries on the waterfront and then started the climb back up through the old town, eventually getting back to the car. A short drive led us to the Orthodox Savina Monastery, isolated on a hill just outside the city centre, which consists of two churches dedicated to the success of the Mother of God, and a monastery residence with a treasury and the church of St. Sava. It originally dates to the 15th century, probably founded by the Bosnian Stjepan Vukčić Kosača, and then received the monks who fled Trebinje during the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The small church of Saint Sava is located on a higher part of the grounds, while the two churches, the small Assumption church, and the Great Temple of the Assumption, are built close to each other and date between the 17th and 19th centuries. Unfortunately, the interior of the main church was under refurbishment, so we couldn't see much through the scaffolding and tarps. Back in the car, we continued our drive along the coastal road, eventually reaching the narrowest point of the Bocche di Cattaro, where we stopped for a brief moment to enjoy the scenery. Here we could see the other side of the coast right in front of us, at a stone's throw. To the right, the bay opens up towards the sea, and to the left, the bay tightens for a brief part, known as the Strait of the Chains, to then open up at its endpoint. Continuing along the road, the hills close to the sea started to become mountains, and with their bare and wild imposing figures, they created a scenic backdrop. We passed the town of Risano, the oldest settlement in the bay, as it was founded by the Illyrians as Rhizon and later became Roman. There is, in fact, a museum of an ancient Roman villa with mosaics, but unfortunately, we didn't have time, so we continued on. A short drive led us to the beautiful town of Perasto, located right in front, where the Strait of the Chains connects the two bays of the Bocche di Cattaro. Perasto was just a mere fishing village, and since the 14th century, for a few separate periods and then uninterruptedly from 1420, it came under the rule of the Venetian Republic, which developed into a thriving and lovely city and kept it until 1797. In the 18th century, the town experienced its heyday, boasting four shipyards, a fleet of around 100 ships, and a population of 1,700 inhabitants. It is no surprise, in fact that its cityscape is clearly Venetian, with its nine defensive towers, the fortress of Santa Croce, the sixteen Baroque palaces, and the nineteen churches, all feature the Venetian architectural style. Perast, although not surrounded by walls, was never taken by the Ottomans and thrived in this part of the Adriatic. The town's devotion to the Republic of Venice did not waver even after the latter's fall: while on May 12, 1797, the Doge laid down the insignia of St. Mark, the people of Perasto decided to remain Venetian and governed themselves until the arrival of Austrian troops. The Venetian flags remained hoisted until August 23, when they were buried with a solemn ceremony, the last of the Serenissima, under the altar of the cathedral. The captain of the guard, Count Giuseppe Viscovich, in handing over the Venetian banner to the priests, delivered a moving and intense speech before the militia and all the people, which went down in history with the title Ti con nu, nu con ti (You with us, us with you). Being in this town and this area really felt like stepping back in time, in a Venice of old, with its crumbling palaces once a marvel during the Republic's heyday. We decided to ask a boat owner right there on the little harbor how much a ride over to the two islands would cost. We agreed on 5 euros each, and he drove my brother and me to the little island of Madonna dello Scalpello, where there were already quite a lot of tourists. According to tradition, the islet was created over the centuries by local sailors who kept an ancient oath after finding the icon of Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea on 22 July 1452. The icon was taken to the church of St. Nicholas in Perast, but disappeared during the night and was found again on the same rock at Scalpello. The locals, therefore, decided to build a shrine there and, upon returning from each sea voyage, a rock was thrown into the bay. The custom of throwing stones into the sea still continues to this day, with every year on July 22, there is a celebration called fašinada in the local dialect, in which the locals reach the rock at sunset with their decorated boats tied together and throw stones towards the island, contributing to its enlargement and consolidation. On the island stands the Sanctuary of Madonna dello Scalpello, also known as Our Lady of the Rocks, originally built after the founding of the icon, but then rebuilt in 1632 and expanded in 1722. The nice baroque interior reminded me a lot of those old and dusty lagoon churches around Venice, which have a nice aura of their own. The entry required a ticket as there was also a small annexed museum with paintings by the local artist Trifone Cocchiglia, as well as other paintings by Venetian artists, and Lorenzo di Marino. After visiting the church, we walked around the islet while we waited for our boat driver to come pick us up. We then hopped on with three other people, who we learned were Catholic Palestinians who sang us a lovely Christian hymn in Aramaic. As we left the island, we passed by the other small island right next to it, dedicated to St George. This is a natural island, and on it stands a 12th-century Benedictine monastery and the ancient cemetery reserved for the nobility of Perasto. Once back on land, we started our tour of Perasto, admiring the nice palaces and stone buildings set along the waterfront. We passed by the small 16th-century church of Saint John the Baptist, and then the Smecchia Palace, once owned by one of the town's noble families and now turned into a luxury hotel. Right next to it stands the church of St Mark's, dating to the 18th century and with the nice Venetian lion on its facade. Continuing on, we reached Perasto's main church, dedicated to St Nicholas, originally built at the beginning of the 17th century, but the following century was expanded to its current size and form by the Venetian architect Giuseppe Beati with a baroque interior. Next to it stands the 55m high bell tower built in 1697, supposedly the highest bell tower on the eastern Adriatic, in clear Venetian form and style, with its clock arrived from Venice in 1730. Continuing along the waterfront, we passed some more palaces, such as those of the Viscovich, Balli, and Bronza families. Once at the eastern end of town, we decided to start exploring the interior and headed uphill on the streets and alleys behind the main street on the waterfront. As we went up some stairs, we passed by the 18th-century church of the Nativity of the Virgin, and then, continuing on this time straight and back westwards, we reached the 17th-century church of St Anthony of Padua with a nice view over the town below, the bay behind, and the mountains around. As we continued on this upper part of town, we discovered many panoramic points where to stop and enjoy the scenery. We then reached the church of Our Lady of the Rosary, another 17th-century building, with next to it the imposing palace of the Smaievich family. From there we then headed back down to the seafront and reached the Town Museum hosted inside the nice 17th-century Buiovich palace. The museum presented the town's history and its Venetian background. There was a beautiful coat of arms of the Republic of Venice, with that of the Balli family from the 18th century, right at the beginning of the exhibitions. Then we saw a painting with the names and coat of arms of the 12 original local families, the Raicovich, Sestocrilich, Siloppi, Cismai, Smiloevich, Peroevich, Vucasevich, Dentali, Bratizza, Stoisich, Studeni, and Miocovich. Another interesting piece was the Venetian falconet-type cannon made in Venice in the 16th century and donated in 1677 to the young men of Perasto to help them in learning military skills. There were also two beautiful flags of the Republic of Venice from the 18th century, one of which with the symbol of the town of Perasto. For this latter one, it is believed that after Venice fell, the citizens of Perasto took the remnants of this flag to keep its memory alive, honoring the city's golden age during Venetian rule. These flags were also contemporary to the last banner of St. Mark, which, as I mentioned earlier, the inhabitants still held on to after the fall of the Republic and was jealously guarded inside a chest buried under the high altar of the Church of St. Nicholas, in a place so secret that even today it cannot be found. After the visit to the museum, it was time to head on. We got in the car and then finally drove to reach Cattaro, the main town in the area. We parked the car in the large parking lot right outside the old town walls and then headed into the center, checking into our hotel, the Historic Boutique Hotel Cattaro. This used to be the old Rector's Palace, built in the 17th century by the Venetians. Part of the hotel was also inside a building known as Napoleon's Theatre, turned into a theatre in 1810, during the Napoleonic period, after the fall of the Republic of Venice. We had a beautiful room facing right on the main square, the Piazza d'Armi. The view was amazing with the daylight dimming as sunset was approaching, and barely anyone around. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, we headed out to explore a bit of town before dinner. We traversed the large square, seeing the nice buildings encircling it, including the 17th-century clock tower with the Venetian Lion of St Mark's at its center. On the southern side of the square was the Sea Gate, from where we had come in to get to the town, from 1555, once featuring the Lion of St Mark above the entrance. It was then moved to the side, and nowadays the date November 21, 1944, with the communist star and the Emblem of Yugoslavia above it to commemorate the liberation from the Axis forces during WWII. On the inside of the gate is a beautiful 15th-century stone relief of the Madonna and Child flanked by St Tryphon and St Bernard. We then moved on to explore the rest of the old town, having the whole place to ourselves with barely anyone else around. We reached the small St Luke's square with the small church of St Luke at its center and the church of St Nicholas on its northern side. For dinner, we decided on a place called Hippocampus, where we had a nice dinner on a terrace overlooking the old town. After eating, we decided to head up the walls just east of the old town to have a view from above. The walls are usually paid during the day, but at night entrance is free. We walked up a bit and had a nice view of the lit-up old town and waterfront, all surrounded by the dark mountains. After that, we headed back down and reached the St Tryphon square, where the Cathedral, also dedicated to the town's patron saint, St Tryphon, is set. After the nice walk around, it was time to head back to sleep.

The next morning, we woke up at sunrise and decided to visit the old town and head up to the walls before an entry ticket would be required to access them. We walked through the empty streets and alleys, admiring the nice stone architecture of the city with a clear Venetian influence and style, and then reached the walls once again, where another Venetian Lion of St Mark's stood. Here we started to climb them and enjoyed the view of the town the more we went up. The walls encircle the old town completely, and on the north, west, and south sides are flat and used to face the water. Those on the east rise all the way up the Monte San Giovanni, which dominates the town and at its top holds the Fortress of San Giovanni set at 280m. Four centuries of Venetian rule in the area have managed to give the town its current look and architecture, and these 4.5km long fortifications defended the city from external threats. This has also allowed Cattaro to have two Unesco sites, one is the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Cattaro, and the other the Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar. We followed the road rising side by side to the walls, passing by the church of Our Lady of Remedy, built in the early 16th century, and then reached the base of the San Giovanni Fortress. An older medieval fortification used to stand in place, but the Venetians rebuilt it completely and connected the whole old town walls with the rest of the fortification and the fortress to create an impenetrable defense system, strengthened by square-based towers with walkways, and massive round towers and bastions on the lower part. The San Giovanni fortress, which we had reached, was mostly in ruins, but nonetheless impressive with its central block surrounded by towers, walls, and other buildings. We happily noticed another Venetian winged lion as we entered the complex and then enjoyed the beautiful view of the town below and the Bay of Cattaro stretching far in the distance and with the low clouds covering the mountain peaks, giving it a scenic appearance. There were only two or three other people there, and that made the experience even better without people. We noticed, though, just as we had reached the top, that a huge cruise ship had entered the bay and was approaching the city, its size nearly as big as the old town itself. That meant that once we were back down into town, the city would be overcrowded by the huge number of people the cruise would regurgitate in the old town. At this point, it was time to head back. The option to walk down to the town the way we came was not possible, as once would reach the entrance to the walls, they would make you pay a ticket for exiting. So instead, we found a popularly used slit on the walls to exit on the mountainside. Here we first saw the isolated and ruined church of St George, built in 1558 by Stefano Di Lorenzo, as the inscription on its portal still read. After seeing its interior with still traces of blue coloring on the ceiling, it was time to start heading down the trail following the zig-zag road. The road is actually a trail that heads further up to the top of Mount Lovcen, once covered in the dark, dense evergreen forests alongside the surrounding mountains, and which gave the Venetians, when they saw it, the name Montenegro. Once down in town, we reached the northern side of the walls and passed through the River Gate, due to the Scurda flowing right below it, also featuring a St Mark's Lion, and flanked by the Bembo bastion. We passed by the Collegiate church of St Mary, built in 1221 on the site of a 6th-century basilica, but which was closed. We walked through the nice alleys, lined by old palaces and buildings, all with some history to tell. We went by another church, St Anne, dating also to the 13th century, and also closed, and then reached the Cathedral. It was still too early, and everything was closed, and the people from the cruises still hadn't disembarked, so we had the town basically to ourselves. We passed by an imposing palace from the 17th century belonging to the Pima family, and then past one decorated by bas-reliefs of lions and angels built in 1776 and belonging to the Bescuca family. Not far, another one, the Bisanti Palace from the 15th century, and then finally back to our Hotel. It was still so early that we managed to be one of the first ones for breakfast. After that, we were quite tired, so we decided to take a nap and explore more later. After the nap, we were once again out and about and started by visiting the church of St Clare, built in the 17th century with a nice baroque interior, especially the main altar. Just next to the church was a little bazaar where they sold mostly touristy stuff, and not far we then entered another church, St Nicholas, built in 1906 for the Orthodox community, which was ever growing as the Venetian/Italian population was declining following the fall of the Republic. In front of it was the church of St Luke, which we had seen in the morning, one of the town's oldest, dating to the 12th century, but it was still closed, so we moved on. We then reached and entered another small orthodox church, that of St Peter of Cetinje, and then saw the beautiful Drago Palace with a Venetian Gothic window from the 15th century. We had then reached the Cathedral, which we then proceeded to visit. Built in the 12th century in a Romanesque style, it was first damaged during the 1667 Dubrovnik earthquake when it lost its original facade and bell towers, which had to be rebuilt, and then again in the 1979 Montenegro earthquake. The interior still holds traces of 14th-century frescoes, the sarcophagus with St Tryphon's remains, the beautiful, large ciborium from 1362 on the presbytery, and behind it the Pala d'Oro of Cattaro, a large silver altarpiece from the 15th century. A stair then led us to the upper part, where a small museum was set showcasing religious objects, statues, sculptures, and decorations from various periods. There were some nice 9th to 13th-century bas-reliefs, as well as a baroque chapel with Cretan Venetian icons and paintings, and other gilded and silver processional objects. Amidst that, there were a couple of golden Venetian medallions, such as those of the Doges Morosini and Mocenigo, and interestingly, a crucifix of St Mark of Aviano used to bless the Polish army at the Battle of Vienna against the Ottomans in 1683. The visit continued with climbing to the balcony between the two towers to enjoy a view of the city. Once outside the Cathedral, we continued on our walk, headed to the southern end of the town, where we came upon the former Franciscan monastery dating to the 13th century and whose cloister, with the nice columns, is now used as a restaurant. Not far ahead, we then reached the southern gate, also known as the Gurdica gate, with the waterfront right beside it and flanked by the Gurdica bastion and also featuring the Venetian lion. Here we climbed a set of stairs and reached the battlements, which we then followed, seeing the old town to our side from a higher perspective. We walked along the whole length of the western walls until we reached the Campana Tower, set at the northwestern tip of the old town and one of the most important and reinforced due to its position at the confluence of the river and the sea. From here, we came back down at street level and decided to head to visit the last thing in town, the Maritime Museum. It was hosted inside the large 18th-century baroque Gregorina Palace, and as the name suggests, mostly dealt with maritime history and objects. Inside the nice Venetian palace were also things about the town's history, such as lunettes of St Tryphon and the Lion of St Mark, or that of the Bucchia family, the most powerful of Cattaro. We then saw many maps, especially from the Venetian period of the town, the surrounding coastline, and the rest of Dalmatia, as well as many display cases with miniatures of historical boats and vessels. There we many historical documents pertaining to Venice's administration of the area and of the navy, and it was really nice to be able to read and be proud of the majority of the things there. There were also some smaller rooms, one dedicated to weapons and the other to local clothing, jewelry, and furniture. After the visit to the museum, it was time to go. We went to pick up our bags from the hotel and then headed to our car to continue on our journey. We first drove through a tunnel that connects Cattaro to the southern coast without having to drive along the whole bay, and then, after some driving, reached the coastal town of Budua. We parked the car in a parking lot in the city center and then continued on foot. The old town is situated on a rocky peninsula and surrounded by well-preserved Venetian walls. Once we approached it, we passed by the 15th-century Gradenigo Tower at the northwestern end of town, still featuring the Lion of St Mark's. Right in front of it, on the other side of the paved area, was a small archaeological site which featured a necropolis from the Illyrian to the Roman period, as well as an ancient Roman villa next to it. A short walk led us then to the small old town beach from where we could admire the nice sea walls and old town jutting out into the crystal clear Adriatic Sea water. Entering then from the western side through the Porta di Terra Ferma, the main gate, with its Venetian winged lion, we finally reached the old town. We walked through its pretty streets and alleys, with quite a few people here and there. We then reached the central and main area where we visited the church of St John the Baptist, built in the 12th century, but modified in its current Gothic form during the 15th century. Its bell tower was built in 1867, while the interior holds the 12th or 13th century icon of Virgin Mary with Christ, called the Madonna in Punta, also known as the Madonna of Budua, as it was brought from the Church of Santa Maria in Punta in 1807. The church served as the town's Catholic cathedral until 1828, when the population was still majorly Catholic and spoke majorly Venetian. Next to the church is the former Bishop’s court complex, also dating to a later time. Next to it were the ancient Roman baths from the 3rd and 4th centuries and the ruins of an early Christian basilica from the 5th and 6th centuries. Not far from there, we then visited another church, the Orthodox Holy Trinity, built in 1804, and with a nice iconostasis from 1833 and painted ceiling and walls. In front, we reached a terraced area, at the southwestern end of town, right above the sea and with two little churches, the church of St Sabbas the Sanctified from the 12th century and the church of Santa Maria in Punta, as it stands at the tip of the old town, dating to the 9th century. Next up, we decided to visit the Citadel, situated on the southern part of the old town, overlooking the sea. It required an entrance fee, and we first passed through the Austro-Hungarian barracks, which were built on three levels to reorganize the space for military needs. Next was a terraced area where there were the remains of the medieval church of Santa Maria in Castio, which was probably the site where the original ancient Greek acropolis was located. Next up was the castle keep, built in the Middle Ages but refurbished and expanded, like the rest of the citadel, especially during the 15th century under the Republic of Venice. From there, we had a great view of the old town, the surrounding mountainous landscape, and the sea all around us. To the east, we could also easily make out the large rock island of St Nicholas, Montenegro's largest island. After enjoying the view, we headed out and back through town, walking through some minor streets. We exited through the northern gate and reached a small beach with crystal clear water from where we had a nice view of the old town's eastern sea walls and the island of St Nicholas in the distance. We headed back to the car and left Budua behind, heading along the coast and stopping at a panoramic spot. Here we enjoyed a great view of Santo Stefano, a small island now connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. A village that stood on the island was fortified during the Republic of Venice and helped defend the area from Ottoman attacks. After several centuries, as the village's population declined, the final blow came in the 20th century when the Yugoslav government converted it into a luxury hotel and moved the remaining inhabitants to the mainland, with the place ending up as an exclusive resort. Nowadays, after the Fall of Yugoslavia, it continues in this unfortunate situation, having become one exclusive hotels of the Aman Resorts. We enjoyed the view from our vantage point up in the mountains, as access is either way closed to non-guests. At one point, a cyclist stopped there as well, and we started talking to him and found out he came from Switzerland and was cycling down the coast all the way to Albania and then continuing on to Greece. We talked for a bit and then wished him good luck while we left by car and continued our drive along the coast. We drove down the whole of Montenegro's coast until we reached the town of Dolcigno, close to the border with Albania. The feel, atmosphere, and architecture of the place were very different from the rest of the coast up north. Despite being Venetian for a bit, from 1405 to 1571, it was then conquered by the Ottoman Empire, with the aid of North African corsairs, after the Battle of Lepanto. The town thus gradually became a Muslim-majority settlement, with numerous hammams and mosques, and a clock tower was being built. It was known and remained a den of piracy for quite a while, giving problems to both the Republic of Venice but also to the Ottoman Empire as well which often tried to stop that phenomenon, eventually managing at the end of the 17th century. It eventually became part of Montenegro in 1878, but that trace of piracy seems not to have disappeared completely as we rolled into town. The streets were full of cars, many just double-parked without a worry, drivers rushing and driving everywhere; it felt much more like Albania. Furthermore, the town wasn't really well kept, with many houses looking old and crumbly, and a lot of trash everywhere. After reaching the harbor, we parked the car, hoping it would still be there the next day, and walked up the stairs to reach the old town set on a rocky outcrop above the sea and encircled by walls. Our accommodation was simple, but very cheap and with a nice view of the sea. After leaving our stuff, we then decided to look for a place to have dinner as the sun had just set. We ended up picking a restaurant called Dulcinea 1984, where I had a tasty fish dish and prawns in tomato sauce, Buzara, like the Venetian Busera. After dinner, we went for a stroll through the old town by night but decided to explore better with the daylight the next day.

After a later rise, we headed out to explore town, enjoying the view from the ramparts and town walls. We walked down a set of stairs and reached the rocks by the sea right below the town wall, where we had a different perspective of Dolcigno. Then, back up we walked through some of the streets and alleys, we passed by the statue of Sabbatai Zevi, a Jewish mystic and rabbi from Smyrna who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah and founded the Sabbatean movement. After fomenting sedition, he was imprisoned and given the chance of either death or converting to Islam, the latter of which he obviously chose. He continued practicing Judaism with the excuse of converting his followers to Islam, but the Ottoman vizier decided he was done with him and exiled and relegated him to Dulcigno, where he died alone. Another interesting statue was that of the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, who was actually taken as a slave by the Ulcinj pirates as a young man. After a bit of walking around town, we decided to visit the museum of local history, hosted inside the fortress on the northern end of the walled old town. After paying the modest fee, we proceeded to visit the complex, which had several centuries of layers one over the other. We saw traces of the ancient Illyrian walls, and then those of the Venetian period, and later the Ottoman period. We walked through what was once the town market, used for the slave trade, especially during the 17th century. Most of the slaves in Ulcinj came from Italy and Dalmatia and were captured by local pirates, who would raid the coasts of Apulia and Sicily, capturing people and then keeping them as hostages until a ransom was paid. On the market stands a nice Venetian well head, while to the side is the Church-Mosque, built in 1510 as a church and still keeping the typical gable form, but with the addition of a minaret, which was added in 1571 when the Ottomans turned it into a mosque. Now it holds a small collection of objects inside, including the reconstruction and parts of the original pieces of a 9th-century ciborium now inside the Belgrade National Museum, and other sculptures and pottery pieces. Behind the church, we then entered the Balšić Tower, a medieval structure once the residence of the Balšić dynasty, a wealthy family from the Scutari area. Next to it was a large ruined area, once the proper fortress and residence of the Venetian administration when under the Republic of Venice. It was also used with such a function during Ottoman times, but then fell into disrepair. From the top of the walls we had some more nice views of the old town and the sea. After that, we decided it was time to go. We went to pick up our bags at the accommodation and then headed down to the harbor, happy to find our car still there. We got on and drove out of Ulcinj, heading back up along the coast to reach the modern town of Bar. A short drive in the interior, away from the coast, led us to Antivari, known so because of its location across the Adriatic Sea from the town of Bari in Italy. We parked the car just below the town and then continued on foot, first passing by the part of town that developed during the Ottoman times when they conquered it from the Venetians in 1571. Here we visited the Omerbašić Mosque, the primary mosque, built in 1662. After visiting its simple interior, we went to the nearby Škanjević Mosque, dating to the 18th century, but found it closed. In front of the two mosques, we then admired the impressive walls of the old town of Antivari, a Venetian fortress that withstood time and the rule of the Ottomans. The main gate greeted us with its ever-present Lion of St Mark, while inside the gatehouse, the original white stone one from the 15th century was exhibited to protect it from the weather. We entered the old town, built on a limestone rock surrounded by mountainous terrain and protected on one side by a deep canyon formed by the Rikavac river, which also provided water to the town. The town developed from ancient times but was particularly expanded and fortified during the Venetian period. When the Ottomans took over, they turned the churches into mosques and held on to the place until 1877, when the Montenegrins besieged it. During that time, heavy artillery nearly obliterated the old town, with the earthquake in 1979 giving the last final blow to what was still standing, leaving Antivari in ruins as we see it today. Spanning 4.5 hectares, it now serves as an open-air museum and archaeological site, the largest of its kind in Montenegro, where 90% of its approximately 600 public and sacred buildings are in ruins, with the remainder partially reconstructed for visitors. It was impressive but also sad to see from mid-19th-century photos of the town with all the buildings still standing. As we walked through the site, we admired the remains of the buildings, with ruined houses still featuring traces of frescoes. We first entered the 15th-16th-century Venetian customs office, which now holds sculptural fragments and architectural elements from the town. Nearby, passed by the ruined old church of St Nicholas from the 13th century with some frescoes on its apse, and in front of it, the small church of St Mark in a Romanesque style. Behind the two, we climbed to the top of the fortress from where we had a bird's eye view of the whole site and of the mountain landscape with the canyon to the other side. On the northwestern side, we could also admire the 18th-century aqueduct that led the water directly into town from above. Back down from the fortress, we passed by the Lapidarium, hosted inside an 18th-century gunpowder magazine, and then reached the church of St John, rebuilt in 1927. Next to it was the Venetian Palace, a nice, well-preserved 15th-century Gothic palace. Slightly uphill to the back, we then reached the church of St Veneranda, dating to the 14th century and turned into a grain silo during the Ottoman period.Nearby, we then reached the ruins of the former Cathedral of St George, transformed into a mosque in the 17th century and then into a gunpowder storage facility in the 19th century, after which it was struck by lightning, causing the building's complete destruction. Next up was the church of St Catherine, originally dating to the 14th century but rebuilt in 2018. The church could have served a monastery or as a private chapel as part of a palace, especially due to its arched passageway with a cobbled street passing under it. Nearby, we then entered the domed structure of the Ottoman hammam, still well-preserved.  Continuing on our walk, we passed by the clock tower, built during the Venetian period and refurbished in 1753 in a more oriental fashion, even though it had to be restored in modern times. Walking along the walls on the southern part of the town, we then reached the last section. Here were the Prince's Palace, a 14th or 15th century noble residence, and the Bishop's Palace, originally a church but turned into a residence, most probably during the 15th century. At the southwestern corner of the walls was the Gavadola, a 16th-century round tower built by the Venetians to reinforce the weakest and most exposed part of the walls. Inside the tower, below ground level, is the small church of St Hilario, probably dating to the 13th century. After that, it was time to head out. We exited the site and walked down the town, stopping at a place to grab a burek to have for lunch. Once back at the car, we then drove off, following the coastline heading north and stopping in Castellastua. Like the rest of the coastal area, it was part of the Republic of Venice before falling into the hands of the Ottomans. The town changed its name, from Castellastua to Petrovac, at the beginning of the 20th century, after King Peter I Karađorđević. Once there, we parked the car and continued on foot, passing by Elijah’s Church, dating to the 14th-15th century, with nice icons inside. We then reached the small harbor where we visited the main monument, the Castio, a 16th-century Venetian fortress built on a rock jutting out in the sea whose original function was to repel pirate incursions in the area. After the visit, we saw advertised along the waterfront some boat tours heading out to an island visible in the distance. We decided to join one and with two more people from Germany, we were whisked off on a fast boat to a couple of islands set about 1.5km offshore, the Katič island and the Holy Sunday island. We got dropped off at the latter, where a short climb to the highest point of this rocky islet led us to a small but impressive orthodox church said to have been built in gratitude by a Greek sailor who was shipwrecked here. The former church was destroyed by the 1979 earthquake and replaced by the current one. Inside was nothing much apart from a tiny altar with loads of money as offerings. From that point, we also had a beautiful view all around us, with the small town of Castellastua in front of us and the jagged and mountainous coastline to both sides. Not long after, our boat came back to pick us up and did a small circle of the two islands, enabling us to admire them from the sea up close, before eventually turning back to port. On the way back, our driver took a small detour to one of the rocky cliffs right on the sea to show us a couple of sea caves, which were pretty nice. Once back on land, we chilled a little at the nice beach with barely anyone around. Then we got back to the car and eventually left the coast heading towards the interior, arriving then in the town of Cetinje. We were in a mountainous area, not only was the climate quite different, but also the architecture, having left us behind the Venetian coast to reach the Slavic orthodox interior. The town was founded in the 15th century when the Lord of the Principality of Zeta, Ivan Crnojević, moved his capital deeper into the hills to a more easily defended location in a field at the foot of Mount Lovćen. He had allied himself with the Republic of Venice to fight off the Ottomans, but ultimately fell to them at the beginning of the 16th century. The area, while under Ottoman rule, was a kind of semi-independent theocratic state known as the Prince-Bishopric of Montenegro, with the town centers in direct control by the Ottomans while the mountains and rural areas were autonomous and controlled by several Montenegrin clans, which were warrior societies, but paying a special tax to the Ottoman Empire. A century later, Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš, the Metropolitan of Cetinje between 1697 and 1735, initiated the struggle for the liberation of Montenegro from Ottoman rule, eventually founding the House of Petrović-Njegoš, which then became the next rulers of Montenegro until the end of WWI: After having arrived in Cetinje we checked in our acommodation and then headed out for dinner as it was already past sundown- We chose a place called Taverna where we had a tasty and filling meal. Then we had a stroll through town, passing by the main sites but visiting them more in detail the following day. The town had a particular feeling and architecture reminding a lot of the central European towns, in fact having been rebuilt completely during the 19th century in grids with wide streets and lined by trees.

The next morning, we woke up to pouring rain, so we decided to wait it out a little bit. It didn't stop, but at least it reduced in intensity, so we eventually went out for breakfast and then to visit the town. We first passed by the former building of the State Mortgage Bank of Yugoslavia, which now houses the Ministry of Culture. Cetinje is, in fact, the historical and cultural center of Montenegro, with many museums, the Ministry of Culture, and the official residence of the country's President being located here instead of Podgorica. Right in front of the building, we then passed by the former French Embassy, as following the recognition of Montenegro as an independent state, at the Berlin Congress in 1878, the main countries at that time started opening their embassies in Cetinje and having them built to be grandiose. The French one was built in 1910, and a legend says that the design for it was actually intended for Cairo but got to Cetinje due to a mistake in postal communication. Nearby were some more beautiful, private Art Nouveau residences, as well as the Vlach Church, built in 1450, and its fence made out of barrels of captured enemy rifles. Walking fastly in the rain along the main street, we then reached another church, the Court church, built in 1886 on the ruins of the former 15th-century Cetinje Monastery, which was destroyed by the Ottomans. Montenegro’s last sovereigns, Nikola I and Milena, are buried here, and despite having been unpopular after fleeing the country for Italy during WWI, they received a hero’s welcome in 1989, when their bodies were returned and interred there. Across from the church, at the foot of the hill, we then visited the new Cetinje Monastery, rebuilt here between 1701 and 1704 on the site of the former court of Ivan Crnojević, founder of the original monastery. Inside a orthodox priest donned in a typical black dress noticed us and asked where we were from we told him and then he kindly gave us a quick and brief introduciton to the monastery and to the relics found withing, telling us then to visit the small church with the nice iconostasis and the relics kep inside a chapel, including the right hand of John the Baptist, the fragment of the True Cross and the relics of Saint Peter of Cetinje. After the visit to the monastery, as it was still raining, we decided to visit the Palace of King Nikola, once the royal palace and now a museum. We joined one of the tours, as it can only be visited that way, and discovered the interesting history of the palace and the Montenegrin royal family. The small palace was built from 1863 to 1867 as a permanent residence for Darinka, Princess of Montenegro, widow of Danilo I of Montenegro, who during his reign marked the transition of Montenegro from a traditional theocratic form of government into a secular Principality. As Danilo only had a daughter, after his assassination as he was boarding a ship at the port of Kotor, his nephew Nicholas succeeded him, who then, in 1867, exiled Darinka and her daughter to Venice for the rest of their life. He reigned as prince from 1860 to 1910 and as the country's first and only king from 1910 to 1918, We saw the many rooms he, his wife, and his growing family used and decorated with furniture and decor fitting the time and saw exhibits with paintigns, weaponry, royal jewelry, and captured Ottoman military insigna on the war Nicholas did to expand his growing reign. There were also a lot of references to Italy throughout the palace, as one of his daughters, Elena, married King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Curiously, five of Nicholas I's daughters were married, each to princes and kings, giving Nicholas the nickname "the father-in-law of Europe". We toured the historical rooms and enjoyed the visit altogether. Once we were back out the sun was finally shining and we enhoyed a walk through the rest of town. We passed by the former Serbian embassy, now holding the Ethnographic museum, and next to it the former Belgian one. Across the street was the former Bulgarian embassy, and a little further away the German one. Next up was the British embassy, probably one of the nicest looking like a colonial house in the U.S., and now a music school. Close to it, we then reached the Blue Palace built by the Italian architect Camillo Boito in 1895 in late Empire style as the residence of Crown Prince Danilo of Montenegro, while since 2010 it has served as the official residence of the President of Montenegro. Walking along another street, we admired the beautiful and imposing former Russian embassy, now the faculty of fine arts, and probably the most beautiful of all the buildings. Next to it was the city hall, and the Royal theatre, while across the street was the small Turkish embassy. At one point, we reached the main building of the National Museum of Montenegro, hosted inside the large and nice Government House, which was the country's former parliament building. Unfortunately, this museum branch was closed, so we moved on to reach the Biljarda, one of the former royal residences located between the Palace of King Nicholas and the Cetinje monastery. The palace was built in 1838 for the prince-bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, as it was named so due to his favorite game, billiards.  It was the first residence, before the palace of Nicholas was built, and has the appearance of a medieval fortified feudal castle: a rectangular 70 metres in length and 7.5 metres wide two-storied stone building with 25 rooms, covered with lead, enclosed by a high stone wall with four defensive towers on the corners. Inside, we saw the afore-mentioned billiards table, as well as exhibits on Njegoš's life and creative work, as he was also a poet and philosopher, and other works of art. A real highlight was set in a pavilion in the garden made out of glass, under which stands an amazing relief map of Montenegro and parts of its neighboring lands and countries at a scale of 1:10,000 created in 1917 by order of the Austro-Hungarian military administration. It was so incredible and also fun to be able to spot the different towns, rivers, mountains, and geological features on this definitely one-of-a-kind cultural monument. Once we were done with the visit, we headed back out and walked along the main street, heading a bit outside the central area to reach the last two former embassies, that of Austria-Hungary and that of Italy, both equally grandiose and impressive, the latter having been built in 1910 by Italian architect Corradini. At that point, it was time for us to leave Cetinje and continue on our journey, driving first east towards Podgorica. Along the way, we stopped at a nice viewpoint in the mountains to see in the distance the large expanse of the Scutari lake on the border with Albania. Once we reached Podgorica, we decided not to stop and continued driving, heading north until we reached the Ostrog Monastery. The road to get to it was really tight, meandering up the mountainside with a sheer rocky cliff to one side, and the precipice to the other, plus here and there, cars and even large buses coming from the other direction. Once there we parked the car and then a short walk led us to the upper monastery situated against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda in the central part of the country. The monastery was founded in the 17th century by Saint Basil of Ostrog, who was then buried there, but its current form is from the 1920s after a fire that had destroyed the majority of the complex. As we approached, we saw multitudes of people, easily realizing how it is one of the most visited pilgrimage places in the Balkans. There were many people just sitting and waiting on the floor and in the surrounding area, many with suitcases and large bags, probably planning to spend some time at the monastery as pilgrims. Then we joined what seemed like a line to get inside the core of the monastery. We waited for a bit, slowly moving as people in front were let in one by one, while others were coming out from the other side. Eventually, it was our turn, and we got inside, being ushered in by a tall, large man who would shove you in but kindly covered your head so you wouldn't bump into the low rocky ceiling. We entered this tiny cave inside the mountain rock, where a priest was reciting, people were approaching and kissing the cross and Saint Basil's portrait, where the relics of St Basil, which are said to have healing are set. This small church, dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, was one of the surviving parts of the original 17th-century monastery and still features the frescoes from that period painted directly on the stone surface with the many blue, green, yellow, and red tones. After squeezing back out, we then followed the hallways and small chapels, many mosaics of saints, some modern frescoes, and many light up candles along the way until we headed up some stairs to reach the upper part. Here was a kind of terrace, still carved in the rocky side of the mountain, from where we had an amazing view of the Bjelopavlići plain below. Here was also another small cave, with another church, that of the Holy Cross. Also in this case, there was a priest reciting prayers. After the visit, we exited the place and headed down to reach the lower monastery built around the church of the Holy Trinity, dating to 1824. We entered the church and here too found a mass going on. We stayed for a little while, enjoying the view and the atmosphere, and then headed back out. Once in the car, it was time to start driving towards Bosnia. We headed north and noticed dark, thick clouds approaching us. It started raining, and as we continued, the landscapes changed. Once past the town of Pluzine, we reached the Piva Lake, a reservoir formed by the construction of the Mratinje Dam on the Piva River. We drove on the road running alongside the reservoir, which at that point formed a kind of canyon as the mountains were very tall, steep, and close to each side. We admired the beautiful panoramas and then reached the Mratinje Dam, on top of which we could see the Piva River way down the gorge continuing its flow northwards. We eventually reached the border crossing with Bosnia, which was down through an old, narrow, creaky metal and wood bridge. Once on the other side, the sun eventually set, and the rain intensified, making the drive harder and more annoying due to the low visibility and many bumps and potholes on the road. Finally, after a couple of hours, we eventually made it back to the Sarajevo airport, where we dropped back our car. 

The town of Počitelj

View from the Gavran-captain tower

View of the old town and the Neretva river

The Kravica waterfall

Apparition hill in Međugorje

The old bridge in Mostar by night

The Radimlja necropolis

Detail of one of the stećak tombstones in the Boljuni necropolis

The Inat ćuprija in Stolac

The Provalije waterfall

The Stolac fort

The Popovo Polje

The Vjetrenica cave

Inside the Zavala monastery

The Tvrdoš monastery

Sunset over Trebinje

Trebinje's old town

The courtyard of the Rector's Palace in Ragusa

The old town port

A street in the old town

A view from the city walls of the fortress of San Lorenzo

View of the old town from above

The empty main street in the early morning

The walled city seen from the fortress of San Lorenzo

The upper fortress of Castelnuovo 

The Belavista Square with the church of St Michael

The Savina monastary

A view of the Bocche di Cattaro

The town of Perasto

The view from the island of Our Lady of the Rocks

A square in Cattaro

A view of the old town from the upper walls

The Cathedral

The Granedigo tower and venetian walls in Budua

View of the old town

A street in the old town

Sunset near Dulcigno

The sea walls of Dulcigno

The interior of the fortess

The old town of Antivari

A view of the clock tower and church of St Catherine inside the old walled town

A view of the walled old town in ruins

The coast around Castellastua

The Castio castle

Centinje monastery

The Blue Palace

The relief map of Montenegro next the Biljarda palace

The former Italian embassy

Ostrog monastery