Gornja Lastva: A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

Gornja Lastva: A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

September 2021.

I’ll always be thankful that Sladja and I were able to spend a month living in the Montenegrin coastal town of Tivat. From the historic old quarter of Donja Lastva to the swanky marina district of Porto Montenegro, this once unknown coastal town is developing rapidly, with visitor numbers increasing year on year.

Wrapping up this series, I’m excited to share our experiences hiking to one of Montenegro’s best kept secrets. Step forward the tiny hilltop settlement of Gornja Lastva, located up in the Vrmac hills above Tivat.

Although not widely advertised as a Tivat attraction, the settlement boasts fantastic history and is celebrated locally as a cultural treasure. A locale where, for the most part, traditional Montenegro sits untouched.

Eager to see it for ourselves, we set off on foot one afternoon from central Tivat. After a while, we reached the neighbourhood of Donja Lastva and followed the aptly named Gornjolastovka (Gornja Lastva Street), which winds its way up into the hills.

It was an overcast September afternoon with a light breeze coming in off Kotor Bay. Which we certainly appreciated, as the walk was uncompromisingly steep and tough on our shaky fitness levels.

Gornja Lastva: A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

Another challenge is that the road to Gornja Lastva doesn’t have any kind of sidewalk for pedestrians. Thus we both had to keep an eye out for vehicles from both directions. And be particularly vigilant when we negotiated the many bends of the road.

Within ten minutes we came upon several large construction sights, offering further proof that Tivat’s property boom was (and no doubt still is) in full swing. With the centre of town saturated with pricy boutique hotels and luxury apartments, developers now had their eyes on the cheaper, leafier outskirts. And Gornja Lastva Street was clearly one such spot.

Luckily, we soon left the building sites behind and the walk became prettier and more relaxing the further we progressed. In fact, we could hear birdcall in the surrounding forest, while there were wildflowers, berry trees and colourful beetles to spot as we paused here and there to catch our breath.

Soon, fine views over Tivat and the bay began opening up through breaks in the dense tree cover.

Eventually, we reached the wonky sign that informs hikers and drivers alike that they are officially entering Gornja Lastva. The perfect moment for a celebratory selfie.

Up in the Vrmac Hills.

A few minutes later we came across the first of several ancient stone walls marking the approach to the settlement’s central square. As we would soon find out, stone is omnipresent in Gornja Lastva and speaks to its strong architectural and agricultural heritage.

In that final approach there were fabulous views across the thick forest that blankets the Vrmac Hills.

Meanwhile, far below, Tivat—tucked into the bay—grew smaller and smaller.

At the central square there was very little to see. A few parked cars, a public bench and a stone memorial remembering those Gornja Lastva locals who lost their lives during World War II.

It’s hard to imagine how devastating it must have been for the Marković, Matković and Nikolić families to have lost multiple loved ones in the 1940s. 

From the memorial, several stone paths lead into various corners of the settlement. I have seen several online articles referring to Gornja Lastva as a village, though for me that seems a bit of a stretch. After all, there is no shop, post office, cafe or restaurant to speak of.

Gornja Lastva: A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

Rather, it is simply a collection of stone houses, the majority of which sit in various states of disrepair. As a community, historians reckon Gornja Lastva dates back to medieval times. Its strategic location, perched in the hills, would have been perfect for creating a fort from which they could defend themselves against pirates and other invaders.

It most likely flourished between the 15th to 18th centuries when the bay was under Venetian rule. This is evident in not only the stone itself, but with the terraced land that the paths snake around.

According to a few online sources, those who lived here during that period made their living from olive growing and winemaking. In fact, an original 19th-century stone olive mill still stands on display.

Apparently, as many as five hundred people lived here in its heyday. However, by the early 1900s numbers had begun to dwindle, while after the Second World War there was something of a mass exodus as folk packed up and left to seek better opportunities in larger towns along the coast.

A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

The migration left the settlement largely abandoned, with just a handful of families choosing to stay on in their ancestral homes.

It wasn’t until the 1960s that, ever so gradually, Gornja Lastva began its unlikely comeback. It started with a few folk returning to the village, keen to restore their old homes and live out a peaceful retirement.

Later, throughout the 1970s and 80s, young Montenegrins from across the country came to purchase Gornja Lastva’s ruinous buildings with plans to turn them into summer homes. We saw a few of these ourselves and immediately began dreaming if… perhaps… we could do the same.

We even explored the possibility. Unfortunately, the cost was just beyond our reach. On top of that, the paperwork and legal processes were daunting, and we had serious doubts about being able to work online given the hilltop’s patchy 4G signal and limited Wi-Fi infrastructure.

A Nice Dream.

Over the last 20 years Gornja Lastva has attracted more and more homebuyers, as well as investors who have turned abandoned buildings into swanky new rentals. Indeed we came upon several gorgeous properties with spacious gardens, patios and private swimming pools.

On one narrow grassy trail, we came across a young couple who’d recently bought a plot of land. Plans were already underway, they told us, to build their dream summer house away from the relentless pressures and noise of modern life. Nearly three and a half years later, I can’t help but wonder what the place looks like now.

A visit to Gornja Lastva wouldn’t be complete without stopping by its trio of… ahem… sights. First up is the lovey St. Mary’s Church, dating back to the 16th century.

Elegant and modest, the church stands on a small stone square from which there are fabulous views down the Vrmac hills to Tivat and the bay beyond. Frankly, this alone made the hike up worth it.

It would’ve been amazing to look inside the church – but alas it was closed, as is so often the case for us. If one is able to time their visit to Gornja Lastva for August the 15th, this is when the church (and indeed the settlement as a whole) springs into life with a festival (Velika Gospa) which honours the Assumption of Mary.

Gornja Lastva: A Hidden Hillside Gem in Montenegro.

Behind St. Mary’s, quite literally a stone’s throw, lies the pretty and perfectly silent Gornja Lastva Cemetery. Like the church its origins go as far back as the 16th century.

It wouldn’t take visitors longer than five minutes to do a cursory full circle. But it’s definitely worth taking the time to have a closer look at the graves. Some of which feature fascinating inscriptions in both Latin and Montenegrin.

Every year on November the 1st (All Saints’ Day) and November the 2nd (All Souls’ Day), local families gather here to honour their loved ones with flowers, candles and messages.

Last but not least, most visitors don’t realise there are actually two churches to see. And even among those who do, the second one is often considered too out of the way—leading many to give it a miss. Sladja and I, however, were determined not to skip St. Vitus Church (Sveti Vid).

True enough, the trail is tricky to find and challenging to negotiate. But we managed to muddle through with a winning mixture of Google Maps, dumb luck and good old-fashioned determination and stamina.

Searching for St. Vitus Church.

Sveti Vid predates St. Mary’s, having been completed in the early 1300s. It stands dedicated to Saint Vitus, a Sicilian Christian martyr and patron saint celebrated for offering protection against storms.

In this regard the church lies perfectly positioned overlooking Tivat and the Bay of Kotor. The resulting views meanwhile are every bit as impressive as those at St. Mary’s. Maybe even better.

What a pity that the church has been long abandoned. It has so much potential and, I feel, could be an another component of Gornja Lastva’s ongoing revitalisation.

As we walked back down Gornja Lastva Street towards Tivat, Sladja and I speculated on what a travel crime we’d have committed had we neglected to come and see this stunning hilltop station.

We also found ourselves wondering how changed we’d find the place if we were to return in say twenty years. It’s an intriguing thought—and one we just might be tempted to act on.

Like this? Check out my many articles from across Montenegro.

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