The next Croatia (which was once the the next Italy!)

"As I wandered the narrow alleys of Kotor it seemed like I was the only tourist in town, which I liked a lot, as its such a beautiful place.

Before I went people gave me mostly blank stares when I told them I was going to Montenegro on holiday. But when I mentioned that Montenegro's beaches make up the southern section of the Dalmatian Coast and that, in fact, the country is already being dubbed the "next Croatia," I had a list of people who suddenly wanted to come with me.

Croatia, Montenegro's neighbour to the north, was once hailed as the "next Italy" and is fully on the tourist map as part of the cruise ship and mainstream holiday circuit. Now many travelers are drifting down to Montenegro, where medieval coastal towns hug the blue sea and the narrow cobblestone streets and intimate piazzas.

I climbed up the 1,350 steps to the 14th-century fortress of St. Ivan. Kotor's walls are three miles long, a claim that makes the ramparts twice the length of Dubrovnik's. What makes Kotor different is that its wall goes straight up the dramatic hills that keep the city in a the shadows. With great little markets selling locally made cheese and olive oil, cafe-lined squares and reasonably priced seafood restaurants in the town below, it took something to motivate me to make the effort. That is, till you get near the top and the view of the Boka Kotorska - southern Europe's largest fiord - making you forget about the walk up. Only the herd of wild mountain goats nibbling at the grass might distract you". Review by Amanda Thomas, Putney London.

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