🗺️ About Kotor
Kotor Montenegro sits at the innermost point of the Bay of Kotor, a dramatic, fjord-like inlet ringed by mountains that plunge almost straight into the Adriatic.
While Croatia’s coast farther north spent centuries as Venetian territory, Montenegro’s history took a different path. Its rugged interior was never fully conquered by the Ottomans, and for generations the country was governed from the mountain capital of Cetinje by a line of prince-bishops, a form of rule found nowhere else in Europe.
Montenegro’s independence was formally recognized by the great powers in 1878, decades before Croatia would see anything similar. After a long stretch as part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro split peacefully from Serbia in a 2006 referendum, becoming Europe’s newest country at the time.
Kotor itself tells a more familiar coastal story. Byzantine builders raised the first fortifications here as early as the 6th century, and the town came under Venetian rule in 1420, remaining that way for nearly 400 years as part of what Venice called Venetian Albania.
The Cathedral of St. Tryphon, consecrated in 1166, still anchors the old town. The walls above it, nearly three miles long and climbing some 250 meters up the mountainside to the Fortress of St. John, are among the best-preserved defensive systems on the Adriatic.
Kotor’s old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized first for the natural and cultural beauty of the bay itself and again in 2017 as part of a wider listing of Venetian defensive works.
🌅 A Second Visit to Kotor
Because this was our second visit to Kotor, I remembered how beautiful the trip down the fjord was and made sure I got up early to take pictures and experience it one more time.
To me, this is one of the most spectacular places on earth to see. The early morning light changes with every twist and turn the ship makes as the sun rises over the mountains.
The last time we were here was on a Windstar cruise aboard the Star. I remember the day being a blur as we packed as much as we could into it. That included a hike up the famed rough mountain steps, past the small church and on to the fort at the top of the ridge, where I was rewarded with a view I have never forgotten.
Bob made it to the church and then turned back, but I was determined to reach the top and was so glad I did.
This trip, however, we had a special tour planned outside the city. By the time we returned, it was simply too hot to think about climbing those stairs again, so I sadly relented.
🫒 To Tići and the Morić Family Olive Grove
Our excursion for the day took us to the village of Tići on the Luštica Peninsula to visit the Morić family, whose olive groves and stewardship of the land stretch back roughly 400 years.
The drive over followed a single-lane road where our bus and oncoming cars regularly had to pull over, and sometimes back up, to let each other pass. Along the way, we passed a large new development going up on the far side of the peninsula, a striking contrast to where we were headed.
Our guide filled the ride with stories about the region’s history, geography, and culture. As we neared Tići, the road narrowed even further and the landscape became rocky and terraced, with small stone walls dividing tiny parcels of land thick with olive trees.
We had no idea what a treat was waiting for us.
🐴 Donkeys, Grappa, and a Warm Welcome
We arrived at a modest, tidy driveway where Ilija Morić, the farm’s 9th generation owner, was waiting to greet us.
As we walked up into his olive groves, home to more than 1,000 trees, we were quickly met by the two real stars of the day: the family’s donkeys, Mishka and Rishka were sweet-natured and clearly delighted by all the attention from our group.
Ilija offered each of us a shot of grappa and a some sugar-coated nuts, a welcoming custom we learned is common throughout this part of the world: always greet your guests with a taste of grappa and something sweet.
🌳 A Grove Centuries in the Making
Ilija walked us through the history of the family farm, pointing out several gnarled, weathered trees he said were among the oldest on the property. At roughly 1,000 to 2,000 years old, they are some of the oldest cultivated olive trees in the region.
Younger trees grow up from their roots and are occasionally cut and replanted elsewhere to expand the grove.
He explained that harvesting takes several weeks, beginning in mid-October and continuing through November, with the later harvest producing a darker sweeter oil often used for cooking.
The donkeys, it turns out, earn their keep through weed control and fertilization, an old-fashioned method that fits perfectly with the farm’s fully certified organic status. In earlier generations, a donkey would also have turned the stone press wheel we would see later in the visit.
⚙️ Modern Processing, Old Traditions
From the grove, Ilija led us about 300 yards to the farm’s modern processing building.
The Morić family picks and processes its olives all in a single day, and its investment in equipment allows the family to move quickly from tree to bottle.
Inside, the space was spotless, with three main pieces of equipment. A stainless-steel tank in the center allows sediment to settle to the bottom while the clean oil is drawn from the top. A machine on one side washes the olives and separates the skins, water, and pits from the oil-rich pulp. A final press separates the oil itself, with the remaining paste set aside for compost.
Ilija talked us through harvest timing, the battery-powered shaker rakes used for picking, the different grades of olive oil, and proper storage.
He was engaging and humble throughout, with just a hint of quiet pride when the conversation turned to the family’s collection of awards for best olive oil in various competitions.
🍽️ Lunch Beneath the Family Home
We crossed the street to the family home, where generations of the Morić family have processed olives for more than 400 years.
After passing through beautiful gardens, we stepped down into a cool, dark, low-ceilinged room with two beautifully set tables. An old wooden olive grinder and press stood off to one side, waiting for an explanation we would receive before we left.
Lunch was a generous plate of prosciutto, salami, bread, tomatoes, olives, cucumber, and fried fig, all meant for dipping in the family’s olive oil, which was outstanding.
Afterward, Ilija answered a few more questions and mentioned that small bottles of their oil were available to purchase for 5 euros each. Most of us bought at least one.
Before we left, I asked whether I could photograph the old wooden equipment. Ilija explained how a donkey would once have been harnessed to the long arm of the grinding wheel, walking slowly in circles to crush the olives. He spoke with real affection about how smart and reliable the donkeys were at their job.
We said our thanks, hvala in Montenegrin, and boarded the bus back to the city, with our guide sharing a little more about how the area has changed over the years.
🏰 Kotor’s Walled Old Town
Back at the entrance to the walled city, our guide led us on an hour-long walking tour through Kotor’s old town, pointing out the city gates, churches, and squares and sharing plenty of history along the way. It was a great reminder of all the things I did not remember from our first visit here.
She left us in the main square to continue exploring on our own.
Bob and I decided to head back to the ship before it shifted from the pier to its anchored position for the rest of the day and evening. Our plan was to return later for dinner, once things had cooled down and the crowds had thinned.
With two additional large cruise ships in town that day, however, the crowds were not going anywhere.
🌇 Dinner, Crowds, and a Big-Ship Reality Check
After a rest and a shower, we headed back into town around 6 p.m. with a short list of restaurants we had found online.
As soon as we stepped off our tender, we found ourselves facing a massive line of tired, sunburned passengers from the MSC ship anchored nearby, all waiting for their own tenders to come back. The line stretched for a quarter of a mile or more and was filled with clearly frustrated people.
If we had ever considered taking a big-ship cruise in the future, that line settled the question for us.
Our first two restaurant choices turned out to be too far away to reach comfortably, so we settled on the third option, Konoba Scala Santa, which turned out to be a real find.
We ate inside in a space that felt genuinely old, the kind of room where it was easy to imagine people dining centuries ago. The menu even included photographs of the walled town from more than a hundred years ago, a nice touch that added to the sense of history all around us.
🌙 A Walk Along the Walls
After dinner, we wandered through the old town a little longer, including a walk along a section of the upper city walls, where we stopped to take in the view. This is when we noticed the town was filled with cats everywhere and the shopkeepers were apparently taking good care of them.
Finally, tired but happy, we made our way back to the tender dock for the night.
Next stop: Dubrovnik, Croatia, another favorite port where we would be spending an overnight with two full days to explore.
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