Smartno

After enjoying our delicious breakfast we took the scenic drive south to the fortified village of Šmartno in the Goriška Brda wine region. Surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards, Brda is the Slovenian version of Tuscany, but when we visited the region it was all about the cherry season. We enjoyed some gorgeous walks in the area and have never seen so many cherry trees groaning under the weight of the delicious crimson fruit.

Šmartno is a medieval village but can trace its origins back to Roman times, it’s charming labyrinth of lanes and alleys crisscrossing beneath the baroque church of Saint Martin. You have to leave your car in the car park by the north eastern entrance, don’t worry it will be safe leaving it there overnight. We also found our way to Gonjace Lookout Tower, constructed in 1961 to commemorate the victims of WW2, and standing at 23m the tower has an amazing 360deg view of the surrounding landscape, Šmartno, vineyards and all. There are some nice wineries in the region, but the best ones are still to come a little farther south.

We stayed at the lovely Art Apartments Aldila and enjoyed a lovely evening at the Marica restaurant, we also enjoyed a wine tasting experience within the town walls at Vinoteca Brda.