Montenegro!

By Jeff C | Published June 19, 2026

If the ‘boot’ of Italy had a long spur sticking out the back, it’d be spurring Montenegro. The whole country is only about 60 miles across in all directions, but it somehow has 180 miles of coastline on the Adriatic Sea. They speak the distinctive language of “Montenegrin,” which is about 98% identical to Serbian. And Bosnian. And Croatian. Unlike mostly-Muslim Bosnia and mostly-Catholic Croatia, Montenegro is mostly-Orthodox — a fact that cements their historical bond with Russia. This, in turn, partly explains why the harbor at Tivat was full of Russian billionaires’ yachts! (Who knew?!?). I did some morning jogs (and evening strolls) past the megayachts and the Gucci and Dior shops at the marina, but spent my days at Lake Shkoda and at the much-prettier old town of Kotor.

Kotor was founded in Roman times around 200 BC, but the walls for fortifications still standing are from the Venetian era, “just” 500 years ago.

The town of St. Stefan. That’s the Adriatic Sea. Southern Italy is beyond the horizon, about 120 miles away.
In the cathedral in Kotor.
In the rooms atop the Cathedral of St Tryphon, I learned about Catholic “reliquaries” — containers of holy relics. Here, you could see actual pieces of the BONES of ancient Catholic saints through the glass in these silver reliquaries. I did not know this was a ‘thing.’ They had lots of these.
Interior of the chapel at Our Lady of the Rocks, which occupies an entire, tiny island in the Bay of Kotor.
Inside a monastery on the Bay of Kotor.
In the rooms atop the Cathedral of St Tryphon, I learned about Catholic “reliquaries” — containers of holy relics. Here, you could see actual pieces of the BONES of ancient Catholic saints through the glass in these silver reliquaries. I did not know this was a ‘thing.’ They had lots of these.