The true colours of our world

The name of our special world, located between the Gulf of Trieste, the Vipava Valley and Brkini, is the Karst. It is where water and soluble rocks make contact. This has seen the emergence of a magic world filled with underground caves, disappearing rivers, dolines and other karst phenomena. In fact, our Karst plateau gives its name to all similar landscapes around the world with comparable soil composition and the whole set of karst natural phenomena.

Founded in 1580, the Lipica Stud Farm is home to over 300 white thoroughbreds and is the world’s largest stud farm breeding Lipizzan horses. Its breeding of elite horses coupled with appealing visitor programmes, old buildings and the spacious green grounds make for a unique sight that every year attracts visitors by the thousand.

Stone, plenty of which can be found in the Karst, has been creatively used by man since the very beginning. The picturesque medieval village of Štanjel, one of the oldest in the Karst, is a wonderful example of architecture and building construction. Declared as a cultural monument, it encompasses the village, the castle and the later-introduced Ferrari Garden.

The first thing catching the eye in the Karst is the dry-stone walls that mark out plots of land and close off pastures. The Karst House will fascinate you with its original architectural elements, enclosed courtyard called borjač, and typical karst-style entrance called kalona. Stonecutting is a craft that has attained the level of mastery. Not only because items made of stone are usable but also because the karst stone is an inexhaustible source of artistic inspiration.

How nice of Mother Nature to finish off the edges of the stony Karst with green and very fertile hills! Come to Brkini, a wonderful realm of orchards and endless meadows. The views are breath-taking. On nearly every hilltop a white chapel will greet you, evoking romantic feelings.  It is here you can escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

At 12 mystical points in the Mythical Park, certain fragments of the mythical tradition are presented with stone markers and sculptures, each equipped with a letterbox that contains a record of a mythical story. Two thematic trails stretch across the pristine Brkinian forest: the Lintver Trail and the Baba Trail.

No matter how often you visit the Karst, the nature there will never cease to surprise you. Meadows and forests, stone, waters and the underground world are, each in their own way, a true exuberance of peculiarities, an epitome of natural wealth. Blades of grass along with butterflies, tenacious pine trees and the mysterious caves lying well beneath their roots…. Thousands of life forms work together to create a remarkable world.

The Great War left quite considerable remnants across the Karst landscape. The warfare of the time left behind a number of trenches and dugouts, whereas armies found temporary shelter in many underground caves. The well-maintained and marked remains of the Great War can be explored as part of theme-based hiking trails on the western edge of the Karst which are connected with paths of peace along the Italian side of the border.

Ask Slovenians about the word “Karst” and the first two things that spring to mind are Teran wine and prosciutto. The little hedonist, hiding within us all, is the first to make these associations. The famous Teran red wine with its officially recognised traditional denomination and the Karst prosciutto ham, dry-cured by the bora wind, make a perfect couple. The intense ruby colour and special intertwining of flavours will take you into a world of culinary excellence.