Situated in the extreme south of the territory which once formed the Yugoslavia, MACEDONIA is a country with proper lines, cradle of a civilization full of charm, result of the unique interlacement of the Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Albanian culture and the Christian-Orthodox and Islamic religion. Medieval monasteries, Turkish bazaars worn out by the time, churches, modern shopping centres, Turkish meat spits and the Balkan burek (a pie stuffed with cheese or meat) … are only some of the elements that you can respire here, in this pure and green land rich of extraordinary beauties where lives a warm and welcoming population. This destination, still less-known by the mass tourism, should not be undervalued especially for its importance and richness.

NOT TO LOSE

• SKOPJE: capital of the nation, it is strategically situated on the banks of the river Vardar, the crossroad among the main Balkan routs, on the mid way of Tirana and Sofia, capitals of the neighbour countries Albania and Bulgaria; the Greek Salonicco (Thessaloniki) rises on the outlet of the same river, 260 km away on the south-east. The ancient Romans were the first to understand the importance of the city position and assigned to Skopje - at that time it was called Scupi - the role of capital of the province of Dardania. Afterwards this territory was conquered by Slavs, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Normans and Serbians, until the arrival of the Turks in the year 1392, who dominated the area for over five hundred years. Destroyed by an earthquake and afterwards rebuilt, it preserves an almost exclusively pedestrian historical centre, with its stone bridge on the river Vardar - built by the Turkish in the XV century - which connects the antique part of the city with the modern one. On the north of the bridge we can find the Baths of Daut Hammam Pascià (1466), the biggest Turkish baths of the Balkan area. The six dome-shaped halls nowadays give hospitality to the Art Gallery of the city. Always on the north we can find the antique market and the church of Sveti Spas. In the inside of this church we can admire a refined representation of an icon of the 1824; the curiosity of this building is that half of this structure was constructed under ground, because when it was built, in the XVII century, no church had to be higher than a mosque. Another characteristic structure is the Kuršumlija Han, a caravansary guest house used by the merchants during the Turkish period. The antique district of the oriental bazaar is one of the most extended and lively ones still undamaged in Europe.
   

• ORTHODOX MONASTERIES: they are considered the pearls of the local culture; these very ancient - some of them even millenary - monasteries expose an unique collection and are extremely rich of frescos, icons, carved works, sacred books and manuscripts.

An excellent mixture of populations and cultures!