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Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sue Dobson
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The ancient stone walls that rise from a sparkling sea encompass a small, medieval city crammed with history, art, culture and charm.
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The ancient stone walls that rise from a sparkling sea encompass a small, medieval city crammed with history, art, culture and charm. Buildings of honey-coloured stone edge streets polished marble-smooth by the shoes of centuries.
Renaissance churches and palaces form a backdrop to outdoor cafés and market squares. Red-roofed houses snuggle, one upon the other, up slim streets that head steeply into the hills. |  | Guarded by forts, a peaceful little harbour shelters small boats - a reminder that this was once one of the great ship-building and naval ports of the Mediterranean.
Far from being a museum piece, Dubrovnik is lively and lived-in. Locals go about their daily life at a leisurely pace, picking the freshest produce in the market, discussing a purchase in the intimately arcaded shops, exchanging news and views on doorsteps.
It's a wonderful place to stroll, and to sit and people-watch over a quiet coffee or cooling drink.
Those great walls, a coronet of fortifications up to 85ft (25m) high and 20ft (6m) thick in places, were built to deter invaders in the Middle Ages. Today they refuse entry to traffic.
For centuries, they'd played their part in the city's defences. But they were no match for modern warfare. Along with the thousands of others who had fallen under Dubrovnik's spell, I watched with impotent rage as television news brought pictures of its cruel bombardment.
Such images stay long in the memory. Too long. It was the winter of 1991/92 when Dubrovnik was hit. Since then, it has been beautifully restored - in fact it's hard to find the joins. Yet to most people, Croatia is still a warzone, a no-go holiday area. Only it isn't. This coastline, just across from Italy and one of the most beautiful in Europe, has been safe to visit for several years.
There are two main entrances into old, walled Dubrovnik - the Pile Gate to the west and the Ploce Gate to the east.
Buses, taxis, cars and bikes crowd noisily into the traffic-busy square outside the Pile Gate, but just a short stroll through a tree-shaded, café-edged square brings you to a splendid craggy view. The water that laps below is turquoise, and so clear you can see the sea urchins clinging to the rocks in the shallows.
In the garden moat, below a stone bridge leading into the calm of the fortified city, oleanders bloom pink and white, and crickets chirp busily in the citrus trees.
Look up, and you'll see a statue of St Blaise, Dubrovnik's patron saint, watching benignly from his decorated niche, high on the entrance tower. | | At night, the cafés and restaurants take on new vigour. Everyone is outside, enjoying the pleasures of Mediterranean food, good wine and good company. |
| Passing through the outer and inner Pile Gate brings you to a square where a grand fountain flows, the pride of the aristocratic Republic in the 15th century. Ahead is the Stradun, or Placa - a stunning street, straight and wide, at the centre of town. To your left is a flight of stone steps. Mount them, and you are on the city walls.
For a couple of dollars, you can walk around the entire old city. The views - over terracotta roofs, into gables, attics and down narrow streets - are superb. Ornate palaces, monasteries, churches and towers are seen from a bird's eye perspective.
Start your route from the seaward side, and you'll look down from the towers, bastions and forts on to myriad shades of blue, from turquoise to emerald, aquamarine to cobalt.
Founded in the 7th century, Dubrovnik's golden age was in the 15th and 16th centuries. Treasure lies behind Renaissance and Gothic façades, in Baroque churches and peaceful cloisters. The Franciscan monastery houses one of Europe's first pharmacies - founded in 1317 - and the contents of its library is priceless.
The Dominican monastery has a rich art collection - don't miss the triptychs, especially the one depicting St. Blaise holding a model of the 16th century Dubrovnik in his hands. Both have old masters, precious silver and gold, and abundant gems of the stonemasons' art.
Fine stonework distinguishes the Sponza Palace. Built in the 16th century as a customs house, merchandise from all over the world would find its way here. Later, men of letters would gather to discuss the arts, literature and scientific achievements.
The city's people have always celebrated life though poetry, plays and music, and in colourful festivals. The square in front of the palace is the traditional site of the opening of Dubrovnik's Summer Festival, a six-week event that attracts choirs, musicians, soloists, orchestras, dance and theatre groups from all over the world.
In the cool of the evening, music soars around the magical atrium of the Rector's Palace, and eyes and ears are charmed in beautifully atmospheric churches. There's nothing quite like seeing a Shakespeare play performed in a fort that once deterred the Venetians and has become the city's symbol of freedom.
In the heat of the day, there are shady cafés to retreat to; long lunches to be savoured down little streets where a few umbrella-topped tables signal a restaurant you'd hardly know was there. The food is fresh, fish is a favourite, and the Italian influence is strong.
At night, the cafés and restaurants take on new vigour. Everyone is outside, enjoying the pleasures of Mediterranean food, good wine and good company. We headed back to our hotel well after midnight, our footsteps echoing in the warm night - and without a trace of concern for personal safety.
Advice
Dubrovnik gets very hot in the Festival months of July and August. May, June, September and October are cooler. If you are going in high summer, make sure the hotel you book has air conditioning.
Walk the walls early or late in the day, to avoid the mid-day heat. It's about a 2km walk. Wear a sun hat and take a bottle of water with you - there is a café on the walls, but prices for cold drinks are, not surprisingly, much higher there than in town.
Sandy beaches are few and far between, so most bathing is off rocks or from rocky coves. The local currency is the Kuna. There are plenty of currency exchange booths and bank cash machines. English is widely spoken. Croatia has been an independent republic since 1991; the language is Croatian. Website: (www.croatia.hr).
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