Stanjel.. capital of the Kras wine region

Stanjel is one of Green Slovenia's most stunning hill top villages and is perched royally above the Kras Teran wine region. It has such a great position that it is easy to stop off here on a day trip from the Lodge and explore for a few hours, enjoy the views and have a bite to eat or an ice cream and then you still have time for an array of other Karst delights. 

Stanjel is every bit as pretty as the famous Istrian hill top villages of Groznjan, Motovun and Buzet in Croatia. The citadel is protected by a defensive wall and sits safely inside the huge arched main gate, where you can start exploring the picture perfect little streets, packed with antique stone houses, wonky old staircases, pretty Karst flowers and wooden shutters.

So you can find this place in the middle of one of Slovenia's 7 wine regions, known as the Karst or Teran.. )Teran is the rare and unique blood red wine produced here from the red soil and it is delicious with local prsut, (prosciutto or dried ham) another specialty of this mini region).

Karst is also a geological term for the leaky limestone rock regions which cover about half of Slovenia and are full of caves, disappearing lakes and rocks, but this particular Karst-Teran wine region stretches from Lipica, the home of the Lipizzaner horse and the massive Skocjan cave all the way up to Komen and the Italian border.

this is your walk up to the majestic town wall..
this is your walk up to the majestic town wall..

 

There is a car park outside the town where you can usually find a space, then you just cross the main road and walk up, probably through the main gate, but it doesnt really matter which direction you go as long as you do a circular circuit and get to see everything.. it can take as little as an hour to do this.

This is such a magical place you can enjoy by just strolling around, but do try to walk up and round to the back of the hill where there are beautiful allotments and magnificent views out to the Vipava valley. At the very top there are really amazing views in every direction from the rocks of a ruined castle and up here there is also a quite unexpected large green area covered in wild flowers.

At some point you should find the main church with the unique "hat like" steeple and below is the only restaurant in the town is in the castle inside a stunning courtyard. It is called imaginatively, Grad Stanjel bistro (Stanjel castle) and you MUST book in advance (tel 00386 573 100 70) if you know you will want to eat here, otherwise you probably won't get a table, but you could also just have a drink here if you prefer.

Restaurants in this region next to Italy have to be very good of course and the food here is great! Last time we visited we forgot to book a table and so just had a drink and found another fantastic restaurant in a nearby little town called Komen, you can see the photos in our gallery below.

Defensive wall and courtyard for the only restaurant in town..
Defensive wall and courtyard for the only restaurant in town..

 

There is currently only one souvenir shop in Stanjel so please support it. They sell fantastically made local artworks and you can find it above the main entrance gate. Sometimes there are stalls selling local honey or a man selling home made bread, but that's it!

So you will really notice the commercial difference between a visit to a hill top village in Slovenia and to one in Croatia, where there are restaurants all over the place and every type of souvenir shop. We would not like it if Stanjel followed the Croatian model too far, but maybe another restaurant and one more shop or a cafe would be just perfect!

We love the beauty, tranquility and sophistication of Stanjel..it adds to the massive diversity and variety of totally unique places you can find all around this tiny country.

explore the narrow streets with cute little stone houses..
explore the narrow streets with cute little stone houses..

 

It only takes about 35 minutes to get here from the Lodge whichever way you drive as there are so many options and combinations you can do depending on what you like to do and see.

So maybe you would do a double wine region tour, visiting the neighbouring Vipava valley first and then popping up to the Teran wine region and Stanjel. Maybe you could visit the Lipica horse stud or the Skocjan cave in combination with Stanjel or maybe you would prefer touring and exploring the vineyards and hidden villages in the rest of this Teran wine region

There are a lot of choices for you in Green Slovenia, but if you can, do try to explore the Karst and get up to Stanjel and enjoy the views!

Email: info@lipizzanerlodge.com

Address: Landol 17, Postojna 6230, Slovenia

Phone: +386 5620 3443
Mobile: +386 40 47 0239 or +386 40 37 8037

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