428
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp446–7 and pp448–9
SOUTH EASTERN EUROPEKoper 5
120 km (75 miles) SW of Ljubljana.
- 24,000. £ @ g n Titov trg
3, (305) 664 6403. http://www.koper.si
Now Slovenia’s main port,
Koper started off as a small
Roman settlement known as
Goat Island (Insula Caprea).
It became a major trading
Škocjan Caves 4
Škocjanska jama
80 km (51 miles) SW of Ljubljana.
£ from Divača. @ n Matavun,
(05) 708 2110. # call in advance.
& 8 - = http://www.park
skocjanske-jame.si
Located in rolling countryside
just outside the town of
Divača, the Škocjan Caves are
one of Slovenia’s most spec-
tacular karst features and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The lab yrinthine complex of
passages and collapsed valleys
is believed to be the world’s
largest network of subterra-
nean chambers and remains
only partially explored to this
day. About half of the 5 km
(3 miles) of underground pas-
sage ways are open to the pub-
lic, accessi ble by a 90-min ute
guided tour. Tickets are avail-
able at the tourist infor ma-
tion centre in the village of
Matavun, a short distance from
the cave entrance. Highlights
of the tour include the 15-m
(49-ft) long stalac tites of the
Great Hall and the under-
water river in the canyon-like
Murmuring Cave. The temp-
erature under ground is a con-
stant 12° C (53° F), so warm
clothing is recommended.
Piran 6
124 km (77 miles) SW of Ljubljana.
* 4,600. @ n Tartinijev trg, (05)
673 4440. http://www.portoroz.siA jumble of pastel-coloured
houses on a small peninsula,
Piran is coastal Slovenia’s most
charming town. The town
centres around Tartini Square
(Tartinijev trg), named after
local violinist and com poser
Giuseppe Tartini (1692–1770);
Antonio dal Zotto’s statue of
Tartini occupies the centre.
The most striking build ing on
the square is the 14th-century
wine-red Venetian Housecentre under the Venetian
Empire (1278–1797), leaving
its attractive Old Town rich
in Venetian-influenced
architecture. Koper was
home to a largely Italian-
speaking community
until it became part of
Slovenia in 1954; the
town still bears traces of
its Italian heritage, with
bilingual street signs and
many locals speaking
both languages.
Central Koper is an
enjoyable warren of narrow,
pedestrian-only streets, most
of which meet at Tito Square
(Titov trg). Its most enduring
sym bol, the Praetorian Palace
(Pretorska palača), is a striking
example of Venetian Gothic
archi tecture with fancy tooth-
like crenellations. Embedded
in the façade are several
coats of arms belonging to
distinguished families from
Koper. Opposite the palacestands the town loggia, with a
beautifully proportioned
ground floor arcade. Also on
the square is the 12th-century
Cathedral of Mary’s
Assumption (Stolna cerkev
Marijinega vnebovzetja),
which contains the ornate
medieval sarco phagus of local
protector St Nazarius behind
the main altar. On the right
side of the transept is an
animated Madonna with
Child on the Throne and
Saints attri buted to the
Venetian painter Carpaccio
(1460–1526), who is believed
to have lived in Koper for a
time. Behind the cathedral is
a 12th-century rotunda that
originally served as the
baptistry, bearing a faded
relief of St John the Baptist
above the door.
A short walk west of
Tito Square, the Regional
Museum (Pokrajinski
muzej) houses a rich
collection of archaeo-
logical finds and medieval
stonework. East of the
square, the Ethnographic
Collection (Etnološka
zbirka) fills a restored
Gothic house with a
display of domestic
utensils, farmers’ tools
and local costumes.E Regional Museum
Kidričeva 6. Tel (05) 663 3570.
# 9am–1pm & 6–9pm Tue–
Sun. &
E Ethnographic Collection
Gramšijev trg 4. Tel (05) 663 3586.
# 9am–1pm & 6–9pm Tue–
Sun. &Main altar of the Cathedral of
Mary’s Assumption, KoperBreathtaking stalactites in one of Škocjan Caves’s chambers
Stair detail,
Praetorian Palace