I am presenting you one of my favorite spot in Europe – Kotor and its bay. Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a UNESCO world heritage site. The old mediterranean port of Kotor is surrounded by fortifications built during the Venetian period. On the space of irregular triangular forme on the slopes of the hill of St John, arrounded by city-walls, limited on north by the flow of short but violent river Skurda (300 meters long!) as well from west and south by the sea-shore and submarine spring Gurdic, on the alluvial bottom with the surface approximatively similar to the present, was performed the process of the formation of oldest urban core of Kotor, with its irregular plan of city streets, considerably different of typical scheme of rectangular street’s net gived by the Roman urban and building genius to the civilisation, by which the streets must to chop one other in a right angle (90 grades), forming rectangular or square »insulas« , the blocks with one-storied or poly-storied architecture.
Meanwhile, in Kotor is present the sense of irregularity and anusuality in the town-planing, which is never existing, but it is all made »ad hoc« , by the momentaneous necessities, although Kotor even in 14th century had the regles of the building in the urban core in its own city Statute.
Perast is situated opposite the Verige strait, at the foothill of the Kason hill. The objects found in the Spila cave, near Perast, testify to the early human presence in this area. The town was named after the Illyrian tribe Pirusta and it had a very rich history. This small baroque town reached its height of glory in the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time, Perast had a merchant fleet of around 100 ships. Its sailors were well-known for their skill and courage.
Two small picturesque islands are located in front of Perast: St. George (Sv. Djordje), which is a natural island, and Our Lady of the Rock (Gospa od Skrpjela), a man-made island. On the island of St. George there is a small church, erected in the 17th century and an old cemetery where most of the seafarers from Perast were buried.
The island of Our Lady of the Rock was artificially built by piling stones over a sea rock. The church was erected in 1630 and it contains a large collection of silver plates with reliefs showing the development of sea faring life in Boka. The interior of the church is decorated with 68 paintings by Tripo Kokolja, a well-known baroque painter originally from Perast. On the right altar there is a painting of St. Roko, artwork of the Italian painter Tiepolo.
Prcanj is situated on the eastern side of the Vrmac hill, opposite Dobrota. It acquired its present appearance during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Among its oldest cultural monuments are the church of St. Toma situated in the upper part of the village, erected in the 9th century. Today, this church is not active. Near this church there is the church of St. Ivan, erected in 1221.
