Guide to Slovenia for Italian Visitors
Hence, we have decided to enlist the aid of two knowledgeable individuals, Italians, who will give us some first-hand tips on where we should advise our Italian guests to go or what to do, and tell us what they believe the greatest advantage of our small country is.
When he visited Slovenia for the first time, Valerio, who has been living in Slovenia for ten years, fell in love with our wonderful nature. He believes the very best corners of Slovenia are the pearls of nature located throughout the country, however, he also feels that Slovenia lacks some good shopping centres. How convenient that one of the best shopping galleries in Ljubljana is located just around the corner from Grand Hotel Union, right?
What places have you been most enthralled by?
Lake Bohinj, Logar Valley, Piran and Ljubljana.
What is the thing that impressed you most in Slovenia?
Good infrastructure and good motorway connections.
When you talk about Ljubljana to your relatives you tell them that…
… Ljubljana is a small town, yet a charming one. It is very accessible and it is best seen by strolling around. Two of the places I like a lot are the Museum of Contemporary Art and Tivoli Park.
What Slovenian culinary treats would you recommend to your fellow Italians?
It is a rather difficult question to ask an Italian about Slovenian cuisine (he laughs), but I would recommend the potica cake (a nut roll).
And then there’s Luigi Peterlla, a former contestant in the TV show Gostilna išče šefa (An Inn Looking for a Chef), who moved to the Slovenian town of Maribor a few years ago for love. Although he has since been living in Maribor, he spent a few months in Ljubljana this past autumn and discovered a number of things he loved about Ljubljana and Slovenia in general.
On top of the list…cleanliness!
“When I arrived in Slovenia, I was impressed with how clean the towns were. In Italy, the towns are much dirtier, while here, in Slovenia, everything was very clean. I was also well impressed with the traffic. Here, everything flows with much less hassle and fairly smoothly. In Italy, there are big traffic jams, especially during rush hour, and the traffic signs are for the most part ignored” added Luigi, who comes from Naples.
Where would you take your fellow Italians?
I think everyone, not just Italians, should see as many places in Slovenia as possible. I would definitely take them to Bled, Bohinj, to see the Lent International Summer Festival, Postojna Cave, Ljubljana, and to one of the Slovenian hot spring resorts.
What is your favourite spot in the capital?
What I liked most in Ljubljana were the Christmas lights and decorations. And aside from the magical December, my favourite things are without doubt the Triple Bridge and the view from the Ljubljana Castle.
How about cuisine? What would you prepare for your fellow Italians, considering you are a skilled cook?
When it comes to drinks, mulled wine is definitely on top of my list and as for food I find it difficult to resist the Slovenian layer cake – gibanica. I also love Slovenian bratwurst with sauerkraut.