Submit a photo
Submit a photo
Ninety seconds on Šmartno
Yes. Šmartno is a walled medieval village, and everything in it can be reached on foot from the entrance, from the walls to the Church of St Martin at its centre.
As of October 2026, the Church of St Martin in Šmartno has no published visiting hours, and the door is sometimes found locked. The village around it, with its walls and narrow streets, can still be walked when the church is shut.
In 2026 the St Martin's Festival in Šmartno runs on Saturday 7 November, from 10.00 to 22.00, and on Sunday 8 November, from 10.00 to 19.00. Entry to the festival is ticketed.
The Gonjače viewing tower is a 30-minute walk from Šmartno, outside the village. It stands 23 metres high with 144 steps, and the climb to the top is easy.
Walk the narrow streets inside Šmartno's defence walls to St Martin's at their centre, the largest church in Brda, then back out to the towers that still guard the village.
Šmartno stands on a hilltop ringed by defence walls, and the village takes its name from its church. It is protected today as a cultural monument.
In the first half of the 16th century a large fortress against Turkish raids was built around the church, on the remains of a Roman outpost. Of the seven towers raised on its walls, five survive.
The church's belfry began as one of those fortress towers. The bell inside it is decorated with the Three Wise Men.
Inside the church are three marble altars, and the white marble pulpit is the piece to look for. The frescoes are the work of the painter Tone Kralj.
Leave the car at the entrance and walk in through the walls. Head first for St Martin's at the centre.
The houses sit close in a maze of narrow streets around it, so most turns bring you back toward the church. If the door is open, step inside for the altars and Kralj's frescoes.
Then wander back out to the edge of the village and follow the line of the walls, picking out the surviving towers as you go. Leave by the same entrance you came in.
Explore the rest of Dobrovo
Cherry orchards and terraced vineyards cover the Goriška Brda hills around this village, the region's small centre by the Italian border.…
The Tolminka and Zadlaščica rivers meet in narrow gorges above Tolmin, crossed by bridges including the high Devil's Bridge. A ticketed…
Vipolže Manor is a Renaissance villa set among the vineyards of Brda, restored and now used as a venue for exhibitions and events. A visit…
Last updated