Štanjel is a small village in the south-western part of Slovenia. It is located on the hill with beautiful views over the valley underneath it and is known for its Italian-like look and special architecture.

Štanjel - magical village

View from Štanjel

What can you expect in Štanjel?
Small village on the top of the hill, narrow streets like in some Italian (Tuscany) villages, silence, relaxed atmosphere, no souvenir shops and no hustle about buying souvenirs, great wine and culinary experiences, flowers everywhere, fruit trees in the big garden and beautiful views.

Flowers everywhere!

Flowers!

Ancient wall around the village

Beautiful view from this bench

The most interesting part of the visit is a stroll through Ferrari garden. No, it has nothing to do with Ferrari cars :) Ferrari was a rich Italian man, who owned this land and asked well known Slovenian architect Maks Fabiani to design a villa with a big garden for him. He wanted a nice and fancy residence but in a way that it fits into the surrounding area.
However, before we tell you more about the architecture, we should reveal a secret: the garden is full of cherry trees and if you come at the end of May, you can pick them fresh from the trees for yourself.

Cherry trees in the garden!

Rok is trying to get the best cherries

Delicious!

Now back to Ferrari garden: idyllic place in Štanjel is on the slope of the hill facing towards south. Oval pool at the bottom of the garden is probably the most beautiful part of it. Actually it's more than just a pool: there is also a small island in the middle, Venetian-like bridge and a grotto (cave). Karst region is known as rather dry part of Slovenia. Therefore, this pool and different fountains around it were quite daring decision and in a great risk of being empty for the most of the year. But architect Fabiani was very clever guy and he designed a special water collection system: the pool is actually a collector of rainwater, which is distributed through the network of the pipes to all the fountains and even to the villa above the garden! This system is really interesting creating and well worth checking it out.
But even if you are not into architecture, the place will fascinate you. It's simple but so beautiful. Simply you can't resist but love it.

View over the garden

Oval pool with Venetian bridge

For more information about the village, about its history and visiting times, please visit their official website: www.stanjel.eu. Even though the village is small, it's well worth the visit. If you add some culinary experiences with the view in Štanjel, this makes a must-stop in Slovenia.

Ko sonce pokuka izza obzidja v Štanjelu