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this link to your friends Mediterranean Slovenia Welcome
to the greenest and most Northern bay of the Mediterranean Sea! Here
in the Slovenian Adriatic, where the clean sea and the majestic Alps
come close to an embrace, the air is crisp and aromatic. Here, among
the quaint coastal villages such as Piran, Lipica with their In
fact, the Slovenian Mediterranean is composed of two distinct regions,
separated by nature herself with a long shelf of steep cliffs, which
extends all the way down the Istrian peninsula. This natural divide
also has a long history and it past eras was utilized as a border
between kingdoms – principally between the Venetian coastal lands
and the inland dominions of the Habsburgs. Even today one can find along this wall relics from another time: defensive citadels, fortified stone towers and castles offering splendid views on to the Northern Adriatic and, in clear weather, all the way to Venice itself. And below, the blue sea meets the green, sheltering, sunny coast where among orchards of olive and tangerine trees, there mingles a picturesque blend of Slavic and Roman cultures. In the middle of ancient Piran’s central square, surrounded by beautiful patrician villas, stands a monument to the famous violin virtuoso, Giuseppe Tartini, himself the offspring of a Roman father and a Slavic mother. Above this dramatic divide lies the Karst. Blanketed beneath tall pines, it unfurls itself in all its unruly splendour. Yet the Karst does not reveal all its secrets at first glance for its essence remains hidden deep beneath the earth, in an underground cellar of more than a thousand subterranean caves. Among these several are world-renowned: Škocjan Caves which fall under UNESCO protection, the 20 kilometer long classical Postojna Cave, the literary Vilenica Cave. Long ago, in this region, the scientific study of caves or speleology was conceived and is sometimes referred to as Karstology after its Slovenian name. Just a little father inland, the final border of this extended area of Mediterranean forest is marked by Mount Snežnik which, though only ten kilometers from the sea, rises to a magnificent height of almost 1,800 meters. |