High in the mountains above Kotor lies the Castle of San Giovanni. Built to keep Kotor safe from invaders, construction began in the 9th century and the beautiful fortress was complete in the 15th century.
View from the top of the castle
Not too long ago, my boyfriend @joshsigurdson and I decided to walk the 1350 steps to the top of the castle. The 2 1/2 hour round-trip journey was scenic, fun and well-worth the exhaustion.
Up the many, many stairs.
We had to be careful walking up and back down due to the many uneven and broken stairs, as well as broken walls.
Broken wall along the way. There were plenty of those, lol.
Castle wall
Just below the castle lies the Church of Our Lady Remedy which dates back to 1518.
Church of Our Lady Remedy.
Along the way, just like the town below resides cats!
It was so exciting getting closer and closer to the top!
As we made our way up, we discovered an incredibly dark room and some unsettling stairs next to it.
We could hear something lurking in this dark room but we still had to go in. Luckily, we ran into nothing sinister or anything that could eat us, lol.
I had to have both hands on the walls walking back down these, haha.
Oh, so close!
Entrance to the top.
Once you finally make it to the top, this sweet little thing is there to greet you. Her name is Dora and she is the queen of the castle.
At the top, as well as every other part of castle and the stairs and walls along the way, foliage takes over.
This was such a fun and exhausting climb to do. My legs sure felt it the next day but it was such great exercise. And, there was nothing more exhilarating than making to the flag.
I wish I could have found more information on the history of the fortress. Everywhere I looked provided the same small amount of information, "....built between the 9th and 15th centuries to protect Kotor from intruders." Surely, there is more to it?
I have to mention, it does cost money. Many travel websites have stated that it was 3 euros a person however, it was 8 euros a person when we went.
Nevertheless, the Castle of San Giovanni is a staple of Kotor and part of what makes it such a great place to see. It's a must for tourists and if you're looking for a killer leg, butt and cardio workout, this is it.
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