Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Petrovac
Drobni Pijesak Дробни Пијесак
Hidden in a secluded cove between Sveti Stefan and Rijeka Reževići, Drobni Pijesak is a
240m stretch of 'ground sand' (which is the literal translation of the name) surrounded by
green hills and turquoise waters. Every year on 28 June the elders of the 12 Paštrović
clans hold the Bankada here, a community court that has its origins in the 16th century.
Nowadays its main focus is the restoration and preservation of the tribe's traditions, en-
vironmental and cultural conservation and economic development. The day ends with a
folk and arts festival.
Rijeka Reževići Ријека Режевићи
Traditional Paštrović-style architecture differs from the rest of Montenegro, favouring
rows of terrace houses with stone walls, small windows, single pitched roofs and 'hog's
back' curved terracotta tiles. This charming village offers some lovely examples and al-
though gentrification is evident, the focus has been on restoration rather than demolition.
A footpath starting at the car park below the village church leads through the woods to
a quiet boulder-strewn beach that offers secluded swimming and good snorkelling. The
beachside fish restaurant
Balun
( 069-285 652; mains €10-18)
is comparatively pricey but it's
highly rated by the locals. You can always just order a coffee and a €5 sandwich and gaze
over the oleanders to the clear waters below.
Reževići Monastery Манастир Режевићи
Hospitality has always been important at this atmospheric stone complex, just off the
highway north of Petrovac. Until the 19th century, the Paštrovići would leave a bottle of
wine here for passers-by, one of whom in 1226 was King Stefan the First-Crowned of the
Serbian Nemanjić dynasty. It was he who founded the smaller church of the complex, the
Church of the Dormition
(Crkva Uspenja Bogorodice). Once your eyes adjust to the dark in-
terior you'll be able to make out fine frescoes covering the walls. The frescoes in the lar-
ger
Church of the Holy Trinity
(Crkva Sv Trojice; 1770) were repainted in the 1970s (the
church was badly burnt during WWII) and hence are much more vivid. The iconostasis
was painted by Petrovac local Marko Gregović.
