Castles of Vipava Valley

We will meet in a pleasant place in Ajdovščina. After accommodation, a briefing meeting with all instructions for the upcoming day will follow. 

We will visit the Roman fortress of  Castra.  Castra played an important role in the late Roman empire. It was an important stronghold in Claustra Alpium Iuliarum, roman defence system.

From Ajdovščina we will move towards green fields of Vipava Valley. The beautiful vista of the Upper Vipava Valley lent its name to the Belvedere Manor House (also called Zemono Manor House) which is perched on a wine-growing hill in the village Zemono near Vipava.

It was around 1100 when the Counts of Bogen built the castle – also referred to as the “Upper Castle” – on an elevation over the village of Vipava, on the slopes of Mt. Nanos.

The main square in Vipava is dominated by the striking Baroque mansion built by the aristocratic Lanthieri family in 1659. For centuries, the mansion acted as an important administrative, cultural and social centre of the Upper Vipava Valley.

The village of Lože is a stone’s throw away from Vipava and surprises visitors with a hilltop castle built in 12th and renovated in 17th century by nobel family Lutemberg.

Goče was first mentioned already in the 14th century. The houses have thick walls made of stone with small openings for windows. We will ascend the nearby Obelunec with the church of the Mary of the Snow (Marija Snežna).

We will visit two medieval churches from 15th-century buildings standing on Tabor Hill. Both were originally designed in the Ghotic style and in the 18th century redesigned in the Baroque style. On the top of the hill stands St. Michael’s Church, whereas at the foot of the hill stands St. Lawrence’s Church.

This is undoubtedly the highlight of our tour. Fortified settlements have been present on the hill above what is now the village of Branik since prehistoric times. In 1999, the castle was declared a cultural monument of national importance.

The scenic hillside town will catch your eye from afar. Perched proudly on a hill near Ajdovščina, Vipavski Križ used to be a very important town and the centre of the valley for centuries, as well as the smallest city in the late Austrian-Hungarian Empire.