12/07/2019
Rocking up to possibly the most picturesque island in the world! Montenegro Gospa Od Skjrpjela
Every year at sunset on 22nd July a procession of little boats, laden with rocks, heads off from Perast to the picturesque island church, Our Lady of the Rocks, in the middle of Montenegro’s beautiful Bay of Kotor. As the bells toll, the rocks are dropped into the sea to reinforce the island, in a ceremony dating back to the 1400s when a rocky crag became the base for a chapel.
The name Fašinada (pronounced fascinada) comes from the Italian word fascia, meaning tape or bandage. It refers to the ropes linking the boats as they row across the Boka with their cargo of rocks and poplar branches. Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela) is home to a fascinating museum and gallery, including the icon of the Madonna and child sewn over 20 years by a local woman using her own golden, then grey, hair.
The best way to view this astonishing spectacle is by boat. Stay in Freya's Apartment in Orahovac, and we can arrange for a local boat to take you from the waterfront to Perast as the sun sets behind the mountains.
Other options at other times from Freya's Apartment with our boatman include a trip to the maritime museum at Porto Montenegro near Tivat (where you can crawl inside the colossal P821 Hero submarine!), swimming in the Blue Grotto phosphorescent caves, and waterskiing in the some of the most beautiful locations around the Bay.
For further ideas on what to do, request a copy of our Guide to Getting the Best from Montenegro. To book Freya's Apartment, e-mail us on [email protected]