MONASTERIES OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO AND THE INLETS OF KOTOR

(7 giorni/6 notti)

Travel with a great cultural impact with departure and arrival at Beograd. Along this journey we will discover the most important monasteries of Serbia and Montenegro and the spectacular inlets of Kotor.

The tour starts with the visit of Beograd, the capital of Serbia. Beograd, with its large, straight and shady boulevards,  is a lively city with modern imprints, situated on the brief uplands between the Danube (Dunav) and the Sava, whose extreme western point is dominated by the ancient Turkish fortress of Kalemegdan. This fortress, which nowadays gives hospitality to numerous museums, is a vast and picturesque manufacture fortified during the centuries. We continue with the visit of the Orthodox Cathedral, the patriarchy and the Temple of S. Sava, one of the biggest Orthodox mausoleums in the world. A pleasant boat trip on the two rivers gives us the possibility to admire a global view of the city and the fortress. Afterwards departure for the ancient village Sremski Karlovci, at the feet of the Fruška Gora, and visit of the patriarchy and the Baroque Cathedral. Continuation to Petrovaradin, an ancient medieval fortress on the Danube close to Novi Sad. From here we can enjoy a breathtaking scenery of the lively middle-European city and the Danube. Visit of one of the most important MONASTERIES OF THE FRUŠKA GORA: the Monastery of Novo Hopovo (XVI century) with its precious frescos of the VII century. Always in the surroundings of Beograd, we visit at Oplenac the imposing Temple of Karađorđević, important for its monumentalities and numerous icons which are conserved inside the temple. From here we start for the visit of the MONASTERIES OF THE SOUTH up to the spectacular Monastery of Manasija (XV century), typical example of the Moravian school founded by the despot Stefan Lazarević. The frescos of this monastery are among the best ones of all Serbians paintings of the medieval era. Afterwards we continue our journey with the visit of the Monastery of Ravanica (XIV sec.), another testimony of the Moravian style, well-known for the frescos which represent the portrait of king Lazar, his wife Milica and the sons Stefan and Vukan; the best fresco is “The entrance of Christ in Jerusalem”. Departure for Kruševac, the ancient capital of Serbia; from here we continue our travel in order to visit the Monastery of Ljubostinja (XV century). This monastery is the result of a work conjoined by the architect Rad and the painter Makarije, famous artists of that period. Visit of the Monastery of Žiča, (XIII century), founded by Stevan "the first crowned person", typical example of the School of Raška; because of the great influence of the monasteries situated on the mountain Athos, it was painted external red, and nowadays the color is still in good conditions. This monastery was the official seat of the first Serbian archbishop, cultural centre and legislative organ of Serbia in the XIII century. We continue with the Monastery of Studenica - under protection of the UNESCO - which is one of the most important sanctuaries for the Serbian population. The architectonic complex is composed by three churches: the Church of the Saint Virgin, the Church of Saint Nicola and the Church of the King, which should have been the tomb of the founder Stevan Nemanja. Here we find splendid representations of icons: the painting “The crucifixion of the Blessed Virgin” is considered one of the most outstanding frescos of this period.  Afterwards, visit of the Monastery of Sopočani (XIII century), founded by king Uroš in order to become his shrine; the frescos preserved in its insides are considered some of the best works of the medieval Serbian paintings and some of the best works of the Byzantine art in absolute, comparable only to the works of the Renaissance period.  One of the most important frescos is "The death of the Saint Virgin”, which is situated on the western wall followed by different scenes of the life of Christ and different figures the Saints. At this point we enter in Montenegro and on picturesque mountain roads we reach the Monastery of Ostrog (XVII century). This monastery was founded on a cliff by the metropolitan Vasilije Ostroški, which was afterwards declaimed holy; nowadays it is the best-known pilgrimage destination of the whole Balkan area. Always in Montenegro we continue our travel with Budva, charming heritage which become one of the most important bathing locations; Cetinje, the ancient capital of Montenegro rich of important historical monuments such as the Monastery (XV century) and the Castle of Saint Nicola, a proper treasure thanks to its paintings, furniture and costumes of the period; and Kotor, a splendid little town protected by the UNESCO, whose ancient picturesque center is protected by walls and fortresses. Kotor is situated on the homonymous inlets of the Dalmatian coast. This inlets are a kind of fiord of an insuperable beauty,  which is formed by three colligated basins, on which mountains up to 1800 meters stand out. These inlets form one of the best natural harbors in the world, which can contain an entire navy. A spectacle which is for sure worth while a visit. Reentering in the end to Beograd by crossing the Moravian valley, we have still enough time to visit the Monastery of Mileševa (XIII century), which was founded by king Vladislav. This monastery is a typical example of the style of the School of Raška. The extern part of the monastery is made of tuff; its reputation in the whole world is connected to the beautiful fresco "The angel on the grave stone of Christ”, also known as "The white angel". Here the first Serbian archbishop, Saint Sava, was buried.
 

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