Hi guys,

I’ve already shown you many cities in Slovenia but this time,
I’d like to show you several little villages and nice places in the Karst Region.
This region is very beautiful and not very touristy.
The karst region or Kras (in Slovene) is a limestone plateau region extending across the border of southwestern
Slovenia and northeastern Italy.
I am going to show you today a little village called Zagrajec (->map).

This village has a population of about 30 people (but much more if we integrate cows, donkeys and goats in the statistics).
Zagrajec is small but it is high. It is about 310 meters above sea level.
On a good sunny day, we can see very well the Adreatic sea (towards Trieste, Sistiana and Monfalcone).
The view is so nice that it is not rare to see cyclists stopping in the village to take a look of the landscape and the sea.

If you are a nature lover, there are lots of things in Zagrajec.
One of them is to walk along the path leading to the neighboring village of Temnica.
This path to Temnica is about 3,5 kilometers long. Many locals like to hike there or go for a jogg.
Taking this path crossing the forest is a great way to relax and breathe some fresh air.

There is also a tiny peace of history to tell about Zagrajec.
More than 2000 years ago, the first inhabitants built little houses and a castle at the top of the hill standing behind Zagrajec.
There was a  long wall surrounding the houses and the castle to protect inhabitants from attackers coming from outside.
It was a little fortress. From the top of the hill, formers inhabitants of Zagrajec could see enemies coming from a distance.
We can still see the remains of the former wall if we walk to the top of the hill behind the village.

If you visit the Karst Region/Kras one day, you will certainly notice how green it is and how many vineyards there are.
Zagrajec is not exception to that. There are at least 8 little vineyards just in this tiny village.
Locals have been making wine for more than more than 200 years in this area.

If you come visit the region one day, stop by in Zagrajec and walk around the village.
Pay attention to the architecture of the old houses with their walls made of stones
which is typic of the region because there are rocks everywhere in the Karst Region.
In this region, you won’t be able to dig more that 50 centimeters without hit rocks.
That’s why this material is often used to build tradictional houses (walls, tables, gates etc …).
The oldest houses have a massive handcrafted stones at the top of the main door indicating
the date the stones were handcrafted and therefore how old is the house.

There are a lot of locals who love cycling along the curved streets of the region.
Many are  slovenes but there are also many Italians because the border is just 4 or 5 km away.
During the week end, it is not rare to see groups of cyclist passing through the village.
If you come on vacation in the region, you could do exactly like them.
You just need a good bike and good legs because some streets are pretty steep here.

Zagrajec is one of the village on the path of the Vinska Cesta or The wine road in english.
Many locals inherited the vineyards of their forefathers and continue to make wine to keep the tradition alive.
The red wine that is produced here in Karst Region/Kras in called Teran.

If you stop by Zagrajec, do not hesitate to taste and buy some Teran wine.
2 brothers (Bogdan Kosovelj & Edvin Kosovelj) sell Teran wine in the village at the address Zagrajec 1 and Zagrajec 1A.
Both are friendly and very welcoming. Do not hesitate to go there and taste their wine.

 

My tips for Zagrajec:

1/ Wander around in the village.
2/ Walk along the path leading to Temnica.
3/ Go visit the neighboring village of Ivanji Grad.
4/ Go visit the neighboring village of Gorjansko.
5/ Go visit Štanjel (13 km away).
6/ Go visit Cerje (11 km away).
7/ Go visit Carsiana (18 km away).
8/ Go visit Grotta Gigante (22 km away).
9/ Go eat at an Osmiza.
10/ Go visit Nova Gorica.
11/ Go visit Sežana.
12/ Go swimming in Sistiana.
13/ Go visit Opicina and Trieste.
14/ Go visit Monfalcone.
15/ Go visit the Castle of Duino.
16/ Where to Eat & Drink.