Konavle

Konavle is the strip of fertile valley between the mountains and the sea south-east of Dubrovnik, bought by the Republic of Ragusa in the fifteenth century as its granary, and it has kept a distinct identity: villages of stone houses, a valley floor still farmed, and the Konavle embroidery, worked in silk on white cloth in geometric patterns, with the silk historically raised locally from mulberry-fed worms. The women's costume with its distinctive cap is still made and worn at events. The valley was badly damaged in the war of the 1990s and has been rebuilt. Sokol Grad, the fortress above it, guards the inland approach.

What you actually see

• The republic's granary - bought by Ragusa in the fifteenth century.
• Konavle embroidery - silk on white cloth, worked by hand.
• Locally raised silk - from mulberry-fed worms in the valley.
• A valley rebuilt - after heavy damage in the 1990s.

When to go

May to October. A full day.

Honest expectations

Embroidery workshops and village collections are private and generally need arranging in advance. The war damage is recent history here and local accounts of it are personal. Public transport is thin; a car helps.

Nearby

Cavtat is on the coast; Sokol Grad stands above the valley.