Service Category: Za posameznike

Map of the region and the village itself

Learn about Goriška Brda as a whole – what are we most known for and which spots shouldn’t be missed while visiting. Learn about this area from Roman times up to the reasons for building the fortress that gives Šmartno its distinctive skyline even 500 years after it was built. Who built it and why? Who defended it and how was their life like?

Briška hiša museum

Visit a fully furnished house of kolon, a typical farmer in this area from cca 1850s. Learn about koloni and their daily life while exploring the (wine) cellar, kitchen and bedroom with a balcony with amazing view of the rolling hills. Watch the 10-minute movie of Brda in the 1960s with live commentary from your tour guide.

From fortress towers to typical Brda countryside architecture

Take a stroll in the wonderful narrow alleyways called gase and try and find all of the remaining fortress towers… Hint: you can see 5 of them from Šmartno, 1 is not accessible during the tour. Admire charming houses and learn about the genius ways they are built! Why are the roofs not steep and what are those beautiful geometric shapes under the roofs?

Church of St. Martin

The church stands on the rised level above the village which was not that peaceful in the past… What all happened here before the largest church in the region was built here in the 18th century and what was so special about its building process? Admire the Tone Kralj’s paintings in vibrant colors and learn about the hidden meaning in some of them.

Map of the region and the village itself

Learn about Goriška Brda as a whole – what are we most known for and which spots shouldn’t be missed while visiting. Learn about this area from Roman times up to the reasons for building the fortress that gives Šmartno its distinctive skyline even 500 years after it was built. Who built it and why? Who defended it and how was their life like?

Briška hiša museum

Visit a fully furnished house of kolon, a typical farmer in this area from cca 1850s. Learn about koloni and their daily life while exploring the (wine) cellar, kitchen and bedroom with a balcony with amazing view of the rolling hills. Watch the 10-minute movie of Brda in the 1960s with live commentary from your tour guide.

From fortress towers to typical Brda countryside architecture

Take a stroll in the wonderful narrow alleyways called gase and try and find all of the remaining fortress towers… Hint: you can see 5 of them from Šmartno, 1 is not accessible during the tour. Admire charming houses and learn about the genius ways they are built! Why are the roofs not steep and what are those beautiful geometric shapes under the roofs?

Church of St. Martin

The church stands on the rised level above the village which was not that peaceful in the past… What all happened here before the largest church in the region was built here in the 18th century and what was so special about its building process? Admire the Tone Kralj’s paintings in vibrant colors and learn about the hidden meaning in some of them.

Ascent to the top of the viewing tower

Learn about the main sights in Goriška region and farther, admire the view from the sea to the mountains and the confluence of wine regions on both sides of the border. Learn about our region and what we are most known for while seeing it all from up top.

A stroll to Šmartno (recommended)

Let’s take a leisurely walk through the vineyards toward Šmartno and admire nice vistas of Šmartno and the most of the region all the way. If you do/can not want to walk, I can also do a transfer, no additional fee.

A walk through time in Šmartno

We will start with the small Roman fortress and then slowly move through time and see how Šmartno as we see it today came to be. From turbulent times of Habsburg-Venetian wars to peaceful time of koloni until around a century ago, when both world wars and natural disaster really did a number on Šmartno… we will conclude on a positive note by recounting Šmartno’s renovation and its lively daily life and immense charm today.

Museum

We will explore various items that were found in and around villa during reconstruction – some have fascinating stories! The oldest ones are several millions years old…

Several models will tell us the story of its development through time – how it looked when it was built as a fortress in 12th century, how counts Thurn enlarged it and later on transformed it in the Renaissance beauty. When counts moved out, it was left in disrepair until it was fully renovated in the last years.

Knight’s hall

This hall serves as a gallery and a place for many events now but in the past it hosted many distinguished nobles, some say even an emperor on one occassion… Let me paint a picture of balls and feasts hosted here by illustrious Thurn counts.

Frescoes from 17th century

Learn about the legendary origins of these frescoes and discern what’s on them. Why are some parts deliberately chipped off and what’s with the engraved initials and years on the panoramic windows?

Conceptual design of the city – and how it actually turned out

The tour starts by the model of the city – who made it and why wasn’t it built in such a manner? We will walk around the city centre – which ironically wasn’t even supposed to be there – and see which parts were built as planned and which strayed from the original plan.

The city of monuments

Nova Gorica is full of many public monuments – on our way you will see only a small fraction of them. Most of them are dedicated to renowned men and women of surrounding area. Worth mentioning is the Icarus and its connection to aviation inovation. Hint: you will also be able to see a working replica of a plane that made history!

Designed as administrative and economic center from the start

Which were the first companies that drove the young city’s economy? Which have stood the test of time and which didn’t? See the impact of HIT on the region as a whole and learn why gambling developed here and why it’s so important even today.

Conceptual design of the city – and how it actually turned out

The tour starts by the model of the city – who made it and why wasn’t it built in such a manner? We will walk around the city centre – which ironically wasn’t even supposed to be there – and see which parts were built as planned and which strayed from the original plan.

The city of monuments

Nova Gorica is full of many public monuments – on our way you will see only a small fraction of them. Most of them are dedicated to renowned men and women of surrounding area. Worth mentioning is the Icarus and its connection to aviation inovation. Hint: you will also be able to see a working replica of a plane that made history!

Designed as administrative and economic center from the start

Which were the first companies that drove the young city’s economy? Which have stood the test of time and which didn’t? See the impact of HIT on the region as a whole and learn why gambling developed here and why it’s so important even today.

From Bronze age first settlement to Iron age powerhouse

We start our tour on the confluence of Idrijca and Tolminka river, where Bronze age settlement was built. The settlement then grew into an Iron age powerhouse – it was bigger than the settlement today. This is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe – the finds here are named Sveta Lucija culture.

The remains of a Roman outpost

Because of its strategic location Romans also settled here – learn why they settled here and see the foundations of various roman houses while walking around Most na Soči.

The making of the artificial lake

Artificial lake was made in the times of Yugoslavia – you will learn what is its purpose, how the area looked before and what is its significance for local. Oh, and did you know that around the same time also the settlement’s name was changed because the government didn’t like religious sounding names? But that’s just the latest name change, through the centuries it changed its name (at least) 5 times…

Vibrant and rebellious legacy of Tone Kralj

Tone Kralj was an artist who did a lot of church renovations and paintings after WWI – and and because of the fascist oppression, he often hid some criticism of the regime in his paintings and tried to give Slovenes hope for a better tomorrow. We will admire his work in St. Lucy’s church and try to find some of these hidden symbols.

From Bronze age first settlement to Iron age powerhouse

We start our tour on the confluence of Idrijca and Tolminka river, where Bronze age settlement was built. The settlement then grew into an Iron age powerhouse – it was bigger than the settlement today. This is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe – the finds here are named Sveta Lucija culture.

The remains of a Roman outpost

Because of its strategic location Romans also settled here – learn why they settled here and see the foundations of various roman houses while walking around Most na Soči.

The making of the artificial lake

Artificial lake was made in the times of Yugoslavia – you will learn what is its purpose, how the area looked before and what is its significance for local. Oh, and did you know that around the same time also the settlement’s name was changed because the government didn’t like religious sounding names? But that’s just the latest name change, through the centuries it changed its name (at least) 5 times…

Vibrant and rebellious legacy of Tone Kralj

Tone Kralj was an artist who did a lot of church renovations and paintings after WWI – and and because of the fascist oppression, he often hid some criticism of the regime in his paintings and tried to give Slovenes hope for a better tomorrow. We will admire his work in St. Lucy’s church and try to find some of these hidden symbols.