Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 787 81 41;
www.grofija.com
;
Vir pri Stični 30; per person €28-32; )
This 19th-
century farmhouse called 'County' has four charming rooms and is 2km along a circuitous
route southeast of the Cistercian Abbey. Of historical note: a Hallstatt settlement dating
from 800 BC once stood near the farmhouse's tennis court.
Krjavel €
( 051 367 330, 787 71 10; Ljubljanska cesta 38; pizza €5.60-6.40, mains €4.80-12;
10am-11pm Jun-Sep, 9am-10pm Mon-Sat, 11am-9pm Sun Oct-May)
This little place in
Ivančna Gorica, about 150m northeast of the train station and just off the road to the
Cistercian Abbey, serves local favourites and decent pizza.
PIZZA
Getting There & Away
Bus
Stična is served by up to a dozen buses a day from Ljubljana (€4.70, one hour) on
weekdays, with fewer on weekends.
Train
Ivančna Gorica is on the rail line linking Ljubljana with Novo Mesto, Črnomelj and
Metlika. Up to 14 trains a day arrive from the capital (€2.90, one hour) with as many
heading for Novo Mesto (€2.90, 50 minutes).
VALVASOR, SLOVENIA'S RENAISSANCE MAN
Most of our knowledge of Slovenian history, geography, culture and folklore before the 17th century comes from
the writings of one man, Janez Vajkard Valvasor, and more specifically his book
The Glory of the Duchy of Carni-
ola
.
Valvasor was born to a noble family from Bergamo in 1641, in Ljubljana's Old Town. After a Jesuit education
there and in Germany, he joined Miklós Zrínyi, the Hungarian count and poet, in the wars against the Turks and
travelled widely, visiting Germany, Italy, North Africa, France and Switzerland. He collected data on natural phe-
nomena and local customs as well as books, drawings, mineral specimens and coins.
In 1672 Valvasor installed himself, his books and his precious collections at Bogenšperk Castle, where he con-
ducted scientific experiments (including alchemy) and wrote. In 1689 he completed his most important work,
The
Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
. It ran to four volumes, comprising 3500 pages with 535 maps and copper en-
gravings and remains one of the most comprehensive works published in Europe before the Enlightenment - such
a wealth of information on the Slovenian patrimony that is still explored and studied to this day.
Valvasor never enjoyed the success of his labours. Publishing such a large work at his own expense ruined him
financially and he was forced to leave Bogenšperk in 1692 and died a year later at Krško, 65km to the east on the
Sava River.
