If you are a fan of medieval towns, with numerous narrow curvy streets connecting various beautiful squares with tremendous churches and palaces, the Old Town of Kotor is a perfect place for you!
These squares are known as piazzas and have peculiar names which they got after a certain good or service that was sold or performed on it. The buildings carry testimony to circumstances of various periods of history. This town saw numerous powerful rulers who wanted to conquer it for its splendor and significance. One of the Kotor’s three gates was built to honor an impressive victory over Hayreddin Barbarossa, Turkish pirate, who always desired but never managed to conquer this small but strong and willful town.
The Old Town is surrounded by majestic ramparts which go all the way up to the top of the St John’s Hill (San Giovanni) where you can reach remains of a powerful fortress, the most important strategic point in the town. So, if you have an adventurous spirit, you can try and climb 1 350 stairs and reach the top and enjoy amazing views of the whole Bay of Kotor.
Kotor has one of the oldest and most beautiful cathedrals on the Adriatic coast, destroyed by devastating earthquakes and reconstructed again on many occasions, a pyramid of shame, with a particular purpose, a medieval drinking fountain that had a role much more interesting than just drinking and fetching water, extremely long balconies on the main square and many other compelling features testifying about enthralling historical circumstances and customs of local population.
The Old Town of Kotor is not only a historical and cultural center but also a place of entertainment, so you can find there many coffee shops, bars, pubs, restaurants, and taverns, customized to everyone’s taste. Throughout the whole year, Kotor has various artists performing their art on its streets and squares, rendering life within walls of the Old Town much livelier and more joyful.
This is just a glimpse into the Old Town of Kotor. If you find all this interesting and would like to know more, you can find out about all the magic this town has to offer on my tour!