Amon Olimje: i sapori della Slovenia

Wine estate, surrounded by nature, Amon Olimje is one of the oldest in Slovenia.
A green oasis surrender by a sense of peace. At the height of their beauty there are the forests, vineyards, flowers, rushing streams, grazing cows and chirping birds.
Here, in the company cellar, mature a wide selection of wines from the wine region of Virstanj, as well as fine aged wines, but the reputation of the company is also in the good cuisine and golf course.
Amon family offers its guests the best. From wine, cuisine, going to sports and even the stay. A pension, Natura Amon, nestling in the green oasis that fought on the one hand, the forest and the other extending toward the sunrise, on the golf course.
A rustic interior takes up the shape of a wine cellar.
The cuisine offers a wide range of cuisines and fine wines: seasonal dishes made with fresh ingredients and fruits, organic produce grown in their gardens and used in the preparation of organic menus. Delicious homemade pate, salami of Kozjansko, a wide selection of soups, such as soup to Kozjansko mushrooms or the bread "prezganka", but also gnocchi, homemade pasta, game, lamb, duck and pork.
The wines embody the colors, the aromas and the flavors of the best varieties of white and black grapes of Styria region. Words are not enough, you have to enjoy!
Slovenia, with its landscapes, its cuisine and its wellness centers, has fascinated me so much that I'm already thinking about going back. This time I could rent a holiday home with Hundredrooms in Ljubljana... who knows;)

Rimske Terme: il luogo dove storia e modernità si incontrano

Located in one of the most beautiful places in Slovenia, Lasko, Rimske Terme literally, "Roman Baths" - combine modern tourism services with a rich tradition.
The city owes its name to the ancient Romans who exploited the benefits of its thermal waters that gushed out from the cracks of the dolomitic rocks of Straznik. In 39 BC, in fact, they built the first swimming pools with hot and cold water in the place where now occupied by the Rimske Terme.
For a long time the baths were available only to members of the upper classes and senior military officers, only in recent years have become accessible to all who want to benefit from their healing effects.
Here, in the beautiful surroundings of the spa, you will discover the true meaning of the saying "mens sana in corpore sano". Rimske Terme are, in fact, in an idyllic place, a fairytale landscape surrounded by lush forests and mountains, and a park that since 1879 is home to giant sequoias, tulip trees, Japanese cypress, yew and many other exotic trees.
The thermal water of Rimske Terme is one of the richest in Slovenia for content of chemical elements beneficial to the human body. It is been shown that water helps to cure various orthopedic, rheumatic, gynecological, dermatological, respiratory and pulmonary, gastrointestinal and neurological diseases. Besides the excellent location in the beautiful Savinja Valley, with its pristine forests, it has a beneficial effect on chronic lung diseases. But Rismke Terme are also home to the better rehabilitation equipped medical center in Slovenia. Here, expert physiotherapists, along with rehabilitation professionals, draw up rehabilitation programs that help to recover from injury and illness.
Rimske Terme is the ideal place for relaxing in the healing waters of Amalia source or the Roman source, find inner peace in the country of Varinia saunas, where you can enjoy the Finnish sauna, Turkish and infrared. After the sauna, pamper yourself with body wraps, exfoliation, the Kneip programs or enjoying a massage with essential oils to regain energy and health. Or indulge in a magical and romantic moment with your partner, in the historic center of the nymphs bathroom, in the four authentic stone vats and six modern vats for couples.

La magia di Bled

There are places that speak of love, medieval stories, desires, promises and "yes" pronounced at the water surface. Places that make you dream with open eyes, able to "dissolve" even the heart of the most skeptical of human beings.

Bled is a place that will enchant everyone with its magical power, its charm and its romanticism.

The eternal charm of Bled is in its enchanted lake, a shimmering body of crystal clear water embraced by a necklace of snow-capped Alps. In the middle of the lake reigns the only island in Slovenia, crowned by a 15th century chapel, while, on a steep cliff that rises above the mirror of the lake, there is the symbol of Bled and Slovenia, the Bled Castle.

In the present site of the lake in the past was a tectonic basin later sculpted by glacier Bohinj. The tectonic origin of the lake is confirmed from the hot springs on the northeast side of the lake. Today the sources are captured in three pools of the Grand Hotel Toplice, the Park hotel and Golf hotel where I stayed during my trip to Slovenia.

And it will be for the romantic air, that picturesque and impressive image that distinguishes the Lake Bled from any other and makes it unique enough to be chosen by many couples as a wedding venue to celebrate their love story.

Bled inspired for its mild climate, fresh air and clear water, the serenity and tranquility of the place, and those colorful traditional boats, "Pletna", which drift slowly across the lake to transport its visitors in their most beautiful dreams. It is said, in fact, that those who have not hiked pletna has not visited Bled really.

 Horse-drawn carriages add a traditional touch to the city, while the delicious puff pastry cream is a symbol of Bled culinary art, being baked here since 1953, when the original recipe was invented. A dessert that can be purchased anywhere, of course, but the puffs of Bled remain unique in the world.

The former director of the bakery of the hotel Park, Mr. Istvan Lukacevic, has experimented with different recipes until he managed to find the right combination. Even today this sweet, prepared right in this pastry shop, is served in front of the cafe, with a wonderful view of the lake.

Jelenov Greben

On a ridge at the foot of the mysterious Rudnica mountain, just ten meters above the monastery with the third oldest pharmacy in Europe (here), is Jelenov Greben, farm known as Deer Ridge.

A unique place, in the green hills of Olimje, where time seems to stand still. Immersed in the beauty of nature now with autumn colors and enclosed in the charm that gives the wood.

After a gentle awakening at Terme Olimia (here) and a visit to the monastery Olimje, upon our arrival we were immediately greeted by deer and wild sheep, which graze freely over 8 hectares of fenced meadows, ready to be pampered with a handful of corn for all their.

In Jelenov Greben the days are different than elsewhere. Here nature, in some ways, is like there enveloped in a warm embrace. Breathe the pure air of the morning, stroking a flower, listen to the vibrations of a stream, sipping a steaming cappuccino with a colored wool blanket on the legs, warmed by a warm autumn sun, and with a panorama so bewitching and comforting to act as frame. Happiness is being with nature, see her, talk to her, touch her.

A long time ago in this place was a farm that dealt with viticulture and livestock breeding. The young Borut Jezovnik, just eighteen, became the master of this farm, which with so much effort and energy created a colorful history.

After selling all the cattle, he bought 75 deer from the Brijuni islands in Croatia. Later he began to cultivate, preserve and recreate mushrooms.

Today, in this place that seems straight out of a fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, there are two guest houses that bear the name of the daughter, Rebeka and Karolina, a restaurant where you can enjoy home cooking with specialties of game and mushrooms, but also cheese, salami and wine, and a shop, Zlata skrinjica, where to buy and take home the goodness of the place.

Slovenia: il Monastero Olimje

Not far from Terme Olimia (here), to Podcertrtek, lies the ancient Olimje monastery. Set in a bucolic landscape, green fields, orchards, gardens and fields, the monastery was the castle of Pilstein counts, then moved in 1663 to the Pauline monks Lepogiava, it is inhabited today by the Congregation of the Friars Minor Conventual of St. Francesco d'Assisi.

The exterior facades and the courtyard have frescoes in the Baroque style, with gray geometric decorative boxes. The church has a nave with a barrel vault, it is also in the Baroque style with blacks-gilded altars and a beautiful statue, a half-length, of Blessed Anton Martin Slomsek.

The room on the ground floor of the south tower conceals the old pharmacy of the Pauline monks, famous for its beautiful frescoes dating back to 1780, work of the master Anton Lerchinger, which narrate the paths that lead to the salutes and luck. The frescoes, in fact, portray famous physicians and healers, medicinal plants and Biblical scenes related to the history of medicine.

Even today, the Friars Minor Conventual have preserved the tradition and create herbal teas, tinctures, ointments, and other medical preparations, on sale at the monastery, and which are made from herbs that cure in the botanical garden right outside, where there are more than two hundred medicinal herbs.

Olimje is a peaceful haven in an increasingly hectic world. Here the religious find peace in silent prayer in front of the picture of the Madonna, and nature lovers enjoy the scenery while sitting on benches outside the monastery and let the beauty of nature, the creation of God, speak to them.

Terme Olimia: il benessere in Slovenia

There is a Slovenia made of nature and well-being of mind and body, away from the city and from the hectic pace of everyday life; it is the Slovenia of Spa and wellness centers, where the centuries-old tradition, the experiences of spas and experts who are dedicated to the health of body and soul, are intertwined.
These centers are part, in fact, of the prominent tourist destinations and offer many opportunities for sports activities, culinary delights and luxurious accommodation and excellent quality. But the Slovenian thermal tourism has not developed by chance some, especially in the eastern part of the country, where millions of years ago stretched the Pannonian Sea, numerous thermal springs have remained. The beneficial waters were, in fact, discovered by the ancient Romans, and in the Middle Ages recalled the nobles of Europe.
Surrounded by unspoilt nature of Slovenia, in the hills of Podctrtek, on the border with Croatia, there are Terme Olimia: the best Spa in Slovenia, where nature and relax make this a really wonderful place.
A downtown in harmony with the environment that surrounds it, characterized by the presence of two hotels, Sotelia and the Breza, a structure made up of apartments and a campsite for nature lovers.
Wellness Orhidelia, the most luxurious complex of Terme Olimia, is able to awaken love for our body and mind.
The diversity and the wide spaces of the spa Orhidelia allow each guest to find their own place of peace.
Here you can be lulled by the heated waters of the indoor or outdoor pools, enjoy the magic of a starry sky or warm colors of a romantic winter sunset nestled among the vapor and rhythmic bubbles of an outdoor jacuzzi, or even, according to relax lying of soft water beds listening to classical music, or stretch out the nerves and warm up with a nice sauna or turkish bath.
Have you ever tried a "sweet" chocolate treatment? At Wellness Orhidelia it is possible, too: sprinkle the body with melted chocolate, massaging it like a cream, while sitting inside a turkish bath. After 20 minutes, during which the heat will melt the chocolate and perfumed the atmosphere, you can rinse in a chromotherapy showers and already from the first touch, you will notice that your skin will be softer immediately.
The purple and blue lights of the swimming pools, the spices that perfume the air, the surrounding atmosphere, the luxurious details and the elegance of the place are a poem for the eyes and soul. Everything speaks of relaxation, from the welcoming ritual to the gong therapy that, thanks to the skill of a master, will help the body to relax before accessing the following spa treatments, taking you into a world of vibrations that will make you lose track of time until you fall asleep lulled, gently, by this melody.