Dear Asma,
Not long has passed since my last letter from Croatia, so you might be surprised by my early voice. However, I’ve continued my Adriatic journey by connecting Croatia to my favourite country in the world. Want to take a guess? I’ll completely accept if you say I’m biased, but it’s Montenegro, my homeland.
Writing about my homeland comes with an unexpected dose of responsibility. I have so much to tell you, yet I’m somehow afraid I’ll miss a detail that’s incredibly important! Montenegro is a small yet very significant country. Think of it as a wild strawberry – the smaller it gets, the better it tastes! This won’t be your tour guide to the country, I’ll leave that to google, but rather my reflection on what it’s like to return to this beauty that Lord Byron described in the following way: “At the birth of the planet, the most beautiful encounter between land and sea must have been on the Montenegrin coast.” Every time I think of this quote, my responsibility grows, as how could I ever describe it better?
My obsession with historical palaces will last forever, I’m sure. Every time I come home (although my family house is here), I check in to Heritage Grand Perast, where a lovely GM Marina personaly greets me every time. It’s an 18th-century palace that brings history to life by the sea on the beautiful Montenegrin coast, just across from the country’s most famous landmark, Our Lady of the Rocks.
In the calm waters of the Bay of Kotor, just off Perast and seen from my room window, lies a small island with a story passed down through generations. According to local legend, on July 22, 1452, two fishermen brothers discovered an icon of the Virgin Mary and the Child on a rock in the sea. They took it home, but it mysteriously returned to the same spot. Believing this to be a sign, they vowed to build a church there. Over time, the people of Perast created an island by sinking old ships filled with stones, a tradition that continues today during the annual “fašinada” on July 22, when locals gather to throw rocks into the sea to expand the island. The church that stands there now houses a 15th-century icon and a tapestry embroidered by a woman who waited 25 years for her sailor’s return, using her own hair in the intricate design. This island, Our Lady of the Rocks, remains a testament to faith, love, and the enduring spirit of the people of Perast.
The story about the woman who waited for her sailor for over 25 years, while embroidering an icon with her own hair, always leaves me speechless. In the icon itself, you can see a gradual change of colour. Once the icon started, her hair was blonde. Towards the right part of the icon, the hair became silver as the lady aged. Legend says she lost her sight by the time she finished embroidering the icon. In a world of instant pleasures we live in today, these kinds of stories of love, loss, and dedication bring back something extremely warm and sentimental, almost nostalgic. I miss this lady, although I never knew her. I don’t think anyone did, though. Yet she feels so familiar, and I feel connected to her. Therefore, I go back to Our Lady of the Rocks every summer, for a glass of conversation with myself, while admiring the icon over and over again.
The morning summer breeze is light and gentle. I’m woken up by the curtain that danced on the window, as I left it open the night before, while falling asleep to the waves crashing on the rocks beneath. The curtain glides over my leg, and the sensation puts me back to sleep, although it’s wake-up time. The ease of life in Perast is just mesmerising. Everything is toned down here, except the colours. The spectrum is very saturated, as the dramatic mountains go directly into the sea, creating a fjord that compares to the ones in Norway, but again it is warmer, joyful, and full of life and local tradition.
Breakfast here is a ritual. You will see guests in Riva or Piazza restaurants, lingering for hours, taking in all the sun rays, all the sea sounds, combined with delicious food, while overlooking Our Lady of the Rocks, proudly taking in a sea of guests that are coming by small local boats, as well as ultra-luxury yachts. And that’s the thing about Montenegro, regardless of whether you’re traveling in a very humble, local style, or embracing the luxuries of life’s finer things – you are treated equally, as Montenegro is all about generous hospitality. For example, if you came to my family’s house even for a short visit, my mother wouldn’t let you out until you’ve eaten everything she prepared, and after, she’d go to the kitchen to bring more! Living in Dubai for almost three years now, I’ve witnessed that that’s a similarity between our cultures. The hospitality. The importance of our guest. The sweet aftertaste. And Heritage Grand Perast is all about that. No wonder their guests keep returning every year.
The diversity of Montenegro is easily explained through landscape levels that exchange heights very quickly. I decided to do a family outing to Mount Lovćen and visit Njegoš’s mausoleum. Essentially, Mount Lovćen and its dramatic mountain tops, green lawns, gardens full of domestic products, domestic animals, and old stone houses with meter-thick walls is what shaped me, because as a kid, I used to spend my summer holidays there with my grandparents. I took a cable car, which in a 20-minute scenic ride takes you from the seashore to the mountain. We made our way up to the Lovćen Mausoleum. The road winds through forests of beech and oak, and as you climb, the air grows cooler, carrying a sense of peace that seems to slow time. 461 steps you must take lead you to a place where the world unfolds in all directions. The mausoleum, designed by Ivan Meštrović, is a blend of stone and sky, with a statue of Njegoš, Montenegrin prince and poet, gazing out over the land he loved. Inside, beneath a dome of golden mosaics, his tomb rests in a quiet chapel, a testament to a life of thought and spirit. From that vantage point, the view stretches across Montenegro’s mountains and, on clear days, even to the shores of Italy. It’s a place that feels both timeless and deeply rooted in the heart of this land, and all of us who call ourselves Montenegrins. This place exudes the spirit of pride, carried by our grandfathers, who fought for the freedom we live in today.
My days here would end in a beautiful routine that offered me the comfort I had craved for months. A candlelit, seafood dinner by the water, the endless blue view, and a feeling of humbleness, greatness, and ultimate peace, that came as a result of being one with the Bay. Being a collection of consequences that happened to Montenegro through history, the country feels very Italian, as it was ruled by the Venetian empire, amongst others. Therefore, my Montenegrin soundtrack happened to be “Tra te e il mare,” by Laura Pausini:
“Non posso più dividermi
Tra te e il mare.
Non posso più restare
ferma ad aspettare.”
I can’t wait for you to experience my Montenegro, dear Asma. It is just a couple-hours direct flight from Dubai. Promise me you will go.
Truly yours,
Milo
