Dubrovnik in Croatia on the Cote d’Azur coastline of the Adriatic is one of the best-preserved medieval walled cities in the world. Photo by Gene Korte
The Adriatic is an inviting 500-mile-long sea with Italy on its western coastline and once isolated European countries on its eastern shores. Despite a delightful Mediterranean type climate, this region has been mostly off the American traveler’s radar until the last 15 years.
War raged in this region in the early 1990s, and before that the borders were commonly closed to the West for the 50 or so years of communist rule. The jewel of the Adriatic, Dubrovnik in Croatia, was under constant siege for six months in 1991 by the Serbs. It was rebuilt in part with UNESCO funds and some say it is grander than ever. Tiny Montenegro (population about 650,000) asserted its independence from Serbia and is one of the newest countries in the United Nations. Even Albania, one of the least visited countries in Europe, though still littered with hundreds of thousands of small concrete bunkers constructed in the 1980s to supposedly protect citizens from American invaders, now welcomes foreign travelers.
The Adriatic’s northernmost post is the Italian city of Venice. Going south from there, the Riviera-like coastline of Croatia (http://www.croatia.hr) showcases more than 1,000 islands, moored yachts and red-roofed coastal towns. Montenegro follows next with its towering mountains and bountiful beaches (http://www.visit-montenegro.com). And finally the sea reaches the colorful shores of Albania (http://www.albaniantourism.com), before the Adriatic flows into the Mediterranean. Here are some of the finest stops along the way:
Dubrovnik in Croatia is one of the best-preserved medieval walled cities in the world. The best views are from the walls themselves – they are a mile-and-a-half in circumference – which circle the old city and date from the 13th century. During our visit, we viewed a passionate musical performance at the Dominican cloister. The Klapa Ostro Konavle group performed the traditional a capella klapa singing, famous throughout southern Croatia.
A half-hour from the Croatian port city of Sibenik, a town first settled 3,000 years ago, is the Krka National Park. Known for its waterfalls, wildlife and the terraced cascades of Skradinski Buk, I had the best ice cream of the trip here. Vanilija on a stick, bought for 50 cents from a park vender.
The small town of Trogir in Croatia, once controlled by Venice when it was an empire, is actually an island surrounded by a medieval wall with two giant gates that lead into a town of numerous small squares. It was in this town in particular that the Middle Ages seemed to be around every corner. A good example is the Cathedral of St. Lawrence. Among its timeless attributes are the 16th-century walnut choir seats and a legend of a local hero who was killed by the Venetians and carried away, but as the story goes, returned to Trogir with the help of the angels.
The most exciting moments in Montenegro after we landed at Kotor were driving on the 25 serpentine switchbacks with a speedy driver up to a small smokehouse that overlooks the fjords below. While there we were offered generous platters of the locally made prosciutto, cheese and bread along with honey wine. From this high point, we viewed the panorama of this country’s dark towering mountains, understanding the meaning of the word Montenegro–black mountains.
The 20-mile drive from the port of Durres in Albania to the capital city of Tirane was quite an eye-opener and not to be missed. Buildings are being torn down and simultaneously made new all at once with huge heaps of trash from both endeavors everywhere. While city planning and trash collecting are obviously backed up, the Albanians themselves appear enthusiastic about getting on with the 21st century. We saw young women in jeans and tank tops in Tirane walking in front of 24-hour gas stations, though neither sight was common. This country of many contrasts also boasts outstanding Roman ruins.
We traveled for more than a week in the Adriatic as part of a longer trip that also explored the Mediterranean all the way to Portugal on Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Endeavour (http://www.expeditions.com). The company has exotic itineraries around the world from the Arctic to the Antarctic and owns and/or operates many small ships. All of them have experts who lecture and accompany groups on zodiac excursions.
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© 2011-2014 Diana and Gene Korte
