After a long rainy season and unstable weather, a beautiful morning lured us into nature, and I got confirmation again of how beautiful Slovenia is. This time we visited a small, quiet place near the town of Nova Gorica in western Slovenia. A nice, family walk to Vitovski hill and Vitovsko lake.
I drive by Vitovski hill every day. It is only a few minutes away from the main road through Vipava Valley. I have not taken the time to visit it yet and the sunny Sunday was the right occasion 😊. Since it was a weekend, I was expecting a lot of visitors and recreational hikers. But we didn't meet anyone. It was really calm, and we were totally immersed in nature. These beautiful places are hidden from the popular tourist paths and the locals probably go somewhere further to wander.
We parked the car in the village of Vitovlje, in a large, well-maintained car park, from where we set off on our journey. In the village there is the Church of St Lucia, which was enlarged in 1931 according to a design by the famous architect Max Fabiani.
At the end of the village, there is a beautiful view of the surrounding villages, hills and vineyards. Vipava valley is hope to some of the well-known Slovenian wines.
Several easy and accessible paths lead up the hill from the village of Vitovlje. One of the paths also passes by the small and hidden Vitovsko Lake. We chose a path that offered a beautiful view of the Vipava Valley, and on the way back we visited Vitovsko Lake. It took us 45 minutes to reach the top of the hill, during which time we overcame about 250 metres of altitude difference. Not a lot, but enough to get some exercise and fresh air. The trail is well maintained, marked and at every crossroads there are information signs pointing in the right direction. There is no chance of going off the path.
The path leads us through the forest, along a well-worn forest path. Part of the forest path is paved and in some areas with the steps of an ancient pilgrimage route. Part of the trail is on an old dirt road, which was used to transport timber from the neighboring plateau to the valley. Occasionally, the climb is faster, and you can feel your heart beating faster.
But a glimpse of the beautiful nature that surrounds us immediately calms us down and we can easily continue on our way.
On our way we also come across two small stone chapels, as the path is still a pilgrimage route.
My son, who is an avid explorer, also saw a stone with a motivational message on it: “Go, go! Keep it up!” I funny motivation in the steepest part of the path.
Just below the top of the hill, towards the direction of the sun, we saw the church hiding unsuccessfully behind the treetops. We knew we had almost reached our destination for the day.
Vitovski Hill is a 604-metre-high hill located north of the village of Vitovlje in the Vipava Valley. From the top, you can enjoy a beautiful view over most of the Vipava Valley and the surrounding hills. In good weather and with good visibility, you can see a large part of the Dolomites in addition to the Gulf of Trieste. At the top of the hill proudly stands the beautiful church of St. Mary, and below the hill lies an idyllic, tear-clean little lake in the middle of the forest, only a good 10 m big (or should I say small). Luckily for us, the famous Vipavska burja (a strong local wind) was not blowing that day, so we really had ideal conditions for our trip. The sun was with us the whole way, and it was really nice to sit under the warm autumn rays by the church and have a little chat with the family.
We were absolutely enchanted by the view and by St Mary's Church and its camp walls. There are no reliable sources as to when the church was built and how it became a place of pilgrimage. The church was first mentioned in 1361. The church is basically a Romanesque building, but was enlarged in the late Gothic style. Throughout history, it has always been a refuge for local people, who have also turned to the Virgin Mary during various socio-political events. It was extended and rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1944, during the Second World War, it was blown up.
The bells in the bell tower of the demolished church remained intact, and today they are the most precious church treasure for the local people, and the reason why the church was rebuilt. It was rebuilt by the locals between 1966 and 1976. And it remains so today.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to enter the church. But I took photos of the inside of the church through the keyhole and through the window.
There is a space under the church where visitors can take shelter from the wind, rain and cold. Fortunately, we didn't need to rest there 😀.
Remnants of the 16th-century camp walls with the entrance tower have been preserved, giving the church its special character even today. Its creation is linked to the specific historical situation, which was a time of constant Turkish invasions, which depleted the landscape and its population. The fortified camp provided shelter for the locals, who saved their own lives, and behind the high stone walls they were able to stow their belongings for safety.
Through the entrance tower of the camp walls, we headed back down into the valley, towards Vitovsko Lake. After half an hour of walking through the forest, we finally reached it. Lake Vitovsko is 10 metres long, 7 metres wide and one metre deep. It is also the only natural lake in the Vipava Valley. It is fed by a small spring a few metres above the lake and has been protected as a natural monument. The locals say that there are fish in the lake, but I didn't manage to see them.
On the way, we were also enchanted by four large chestnut trees in a beautiful clearing, from where we had a stunning view of the nearby villages and the hills of the Trnovski plateau. The village of Vitovlje is famous for its chestnut, the Vitovski maroon. Every year they also organize a chestnut festival, where you can taste their chestnuts and dishes made from them.
On the way back, we also encountered animal footprints in the mud during our grazing wanderings. Maybe we just weren't as alone on the trip as we thought. Judge for yourself 🤔
Unfortunately, we were to late for the chestnuts (the season is already over), but we’ve decided to have a easy lunch in to local restaurant (that we call “gostilna”) and returned home when the sun was slowly getting down (in winter the evenings commence at around 4pm). We had a cup of tea and enjoyed a family movie on our couch. A perfect end of a nice Sunday.
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