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‘’At the birth of the planet, the most beautiful encounter between land and sea must have been onthe Montenegrin coast.’’ Lord Byron

Published : Sat, Nov 14, 2020

In this edition from Risan, we continue our trip through the Boka Bay towards the medieval town of Kotor, the cultural pearl of Montenegro, recognized by UNESCO. On our short drive (18 km) we are passing through Perast, Orahovac, Ljuta and Dobrota to the heart of the Bay. We are making a short stop in the village of Perast. Despite having only one main street, this tiny town boasts 16 churches and the bronze busts of famous citizens and many restaurants. However, Perast's most famous landmarks aren't on land at all. Two peculiarly picturesque islands with equally peculiar histories lay right in front of this small village. the islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks lay right in front of this small village and provide the most impressive views. Our Lady of the Rocks was artificially built by the constant depositing of stones and sinking of old boats around the reef which used to exist there. According to a legend, the sailors found an icon of the Virgin with a Child on a rock in the middle of the sea in the mid-fifteenth century. That is the origin of the name of the island - Gospa , which is an old name for a sandbar. In order to show gratitude, coming back from distant voyages, sailors brought gifts and the most expensive objects from all around the world as a tribute to the Lady. The church was built back in 1630, while the one existing today was developed to the greatest extent after about thirty years. Its sanctuary was destroyed in the great earthquake which hit this area in 1667. The church consists of a ship and a chapel domed in the Byzantine style. Its interior is decorated with a large number of works of art of the famous painter Tripo Kokolja. On our way to Kotor Old Town, there are wonderful sights to charming, little pebble beaches hidden from the plain sight, great restaurants that serve the most delicious traditionally prepared seafood.