Sokol Grad

Sokol Grad is built directly onto a limestone pinnacle in Konavle, the walls following the rock so closely that from below it is hard to see where one stops and the other starts. The site was used in prehistory and by Rome, and the fortress as it stands was developed by the Republic of Ragusa after it acquired Konavle in the fifteenth century, guarding the inland approach to Dubrovnik's territory. It was abandoned in the eighteenth century once the threat receded, stood ruined for two hundred years, and was restored and opened to visitors in 2013 with an exhibition of finds and reconstructed rooms.

What you actually see

• Walls grown onto a rock - built to follow the pinnacle.
• A Ragusan frontier fortress - guarding Konavle from the fifteenth century.
• Abandoned in the 1700s - once the threat had passed.
• Restored and reopened in 2013 - with finds and reconstructed rooms.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The route through the fortress is a series of steep stairs and narrow passages, unsuitable for anyone with mobility problems or a fear of heights. There is little shade. Opening hours are shorter outside summer.

Nearby

Konavle's villages are below; Cavtat and Dubrovnik are north-west.