When I said yes to a Windstar Cruise around the Mediterranean on the world’s largest sailing ship, naturally the Italian and Croatian countries were the first to capture my attention. Venice, Sorrento and Dubrovnik were destinations I’d dreamt of visiting for years, for their charming architecture and gondolas, lemon gelato and medieval city walls. But it was the place I had the least expectations for that I loved the most.
While inspecting the cruise itinerary, without much thought, my eyes glossed over Kotor, the fortified town on Montenegro’s Adriatic coast I then knew nothing about. Oh, how wrong I was! A quick, initial Google search of the ancient city dating back to the 3rd century BC altered my mindset instantaneously, but it was only when the ship’s arrival bell sounded and I opened my curtains, that my mind was truly blown! I had somehow managed to accidentally find myself in a place I’d confidently label one of the most underrated hidden gems in southern Europe.
It was, you could say, love at first sight. A landscape nearly too astoundingly beautiful to be real. The huge inlet known as the Bay of Kotor, bound by dual rugged and towering massifs of the Dinaric Alps plunging almost vertically into the sea — the Orjen mountains on the west and the Lovcen on the east. Carving through the heart, the waterway oscillates between narrow and wide through a range of sheer cliffs. It appears almost like a fjord, although it wasn’t the product of glaciers, but rather a sunken river canyon of eroded karst. Multiple towns are dotted along the curve of the land, characterised by white buildings and auburn roofs, lined with linen-tablecloth restaurants and umbrella-strewn cafes.
Kotor’s allure isn’t merely its exquisite natural beauty or the way the water is the perfectly pure Mediterranean blue we cross countries and time zones for. It’s the rich history and culture that run deep in the bloodlines of the ancient city.
The Bay of Kotor is peppered with Renaissance towns and two are still afloat, one natural and one artificial perched opposite Perast, a tiny city full of charm and less than 300 inhabitants. St George is natural and edged with tall cypress trees and a rustic monastery. While the other, known as Our Lady of the Rocks, is paved in marble and adorned with a chapel. According to legend, it was formed over centuries by local seamen who abided by an age-old oath whereby upon their return from each successful voyage, they laid a rock in the bay. And over time the islet emerged.
The custom of throwing rocks into the sea has stood the test of time and remains alive today. Each year on the sunset of July 22, a traditional event known as Fasinada takes place where locals throw rocks into the sea from their boats in a bid to widen the island’s surface. The custom has continued for more than 500 years through wars, the earthquake that nearly destroyed it in 1979 and even the pandemic, impressively without interruption.
The five-mast Wind Surf ship I’m sailing on anchors in the bay and tender boats ferry us to the Port of Kotor, located directly across from one of the three entrance gates to the walled UNESCO city. Kotor’s Old Town is interspersed with a collection of churches featuring intricate frescoes and mosaics, palaces, civic and residential buildings which vary in historical significance and architectural style from the Byzantine and Romanesque, to the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque.
The well-preserved fortifications for which the city is known were built between the 9th and 19th centuries and make up the largest fortification system in the Balkans. They stretch more than 4.5km in length, reach heights of 20 metres in some places and undulate between 2-16m in thickness. They trace a zigzag pattern up the slopes to an elevation of 280m, weaving between a chapel and towers that look as if they’re about to slide into sparkling waters. It feels a little like a miniature version of Dubrovnik, with its medieval architecture, marble squares, narrow fairytale-esque streets and creamy stone structures. Although it’s been coined as the “Montenegrin Venice” for its meandering streets and romantic canals.
It’s a place that feels as if it has been lifted straight from a story book of the greatest echelon.
When I said yes to a cruise around the Mediterranean, little did I know that for reasons aplenty a 12-hour stop in a little-known Montenegrin town would quickly become my favourite.
+ Alexandra Casey was a guest of Windstar Cruises. They have not seen, influenced or approved this story.
Source Agencies
