There aren’t many places in Montenegro that are written about in so much detail as Boka Bay. Of course, it is no surprise. Beauties of the Bay enchant everyone who at least takes a glance at it. I personally love Boka Bay and I return to it often from late autumn to early spring. I always discover something new, or some already seen things appear in a different light. And honestly, it never bores me. Therefore, unless I am going there for work, I never take the ferry. I just like to take my time going around the Bay. For the first time, I stopped in Stoliv, a small place at an equal distance between Kotor and Tivat, around 8 km. Like most places in Boka, it has an antique medieval vibe. A line of stone houses next to the road, and a church. 

Stoliv is known for Kamelija (camellia) and Kostanjada (chestnut) festivities. Unfortunately, we are still not sure if the manifestations will take place this year because of the pandemic. Like many people from the Bay, the people of Stoliv were sailors for centuries. Thanks to this, the first camellia came from Japan to Stoliv at the start of the 19^th century. It turns out that the climate suits it, so it found its place in many homes in Stoliv. While you can usually find the camellias closer to the sea, chestnuts are common in Upper Stoliv. And this story is actually about that often overlooked part of Boka Bay. My interest in this place started when I visited Gornja Lastva (above Tivat) and a local gentleman invited us to his birthplace, Upper Stoliv. But he looked at us suspiciously and said “Oh, you can’t go there by car. You can only walk there.” What he did not know is that those words have the same effect on us as a red cloth waved in front of a bull. 

So… At an early Saturday morning in mid-January, we parked our car next to the post office in Stoliv and saw the signboard for Upper Stoliv right away. We wanted to know if we could make it up there in 40 minutes as we planned. And we made it, even though we stopped many times to take photos. The Upper Stoliv is located at the north side of the Vrmac hill and peninsula, at around 240 meters above sea level. It was early in the morning and the sun has illuminated part of the bay, but the Upper Stoliv was unusually dark. Therefore, the photos were mostly unusable, although I did not know it at the time, so I was in a good mood. We were ascending through a road that a trader and a sailor Gašpar Ivanović donated to the residents more than 150 years ago. Considering the steepness of the terrain, the road was built in the most practical and steady way – stepwise. It still stands through the years and is in good condition. 

While walking on the trail towards the village, I could not help but wonder about how I heard there were more than 1,200 people living here. All that with four shops, four bakeries, and two olive mills. However, I never read a source for this information. And it surely does not seem real from this perspective. Of course, I may be wrong, considering that Stoliv is a very old settlement. Its first mention in writing was as early as the 14^th century. So who knows how life went on in the area. 

There is another story that seems like a myth to me. According to it, a young man who wanted to get married had to plant one hundred (one hundred in Montenegrins is “sto”) olives to get married. And that is how Stoliv(e) (one hundred olives) got its name. If it were so, the Vrmac hill would probably be full of olives. Instead, olives are not that common. However, there is no doubt that the people from Stoliv are sailors back from old times. In addition, this area was known for its agricultural products, as the whole Vrmac hillside was cultivated. Early vegetables and fruits came from this place at the time, but now the land is pretty neglected.

Unlike the olives, there are many chestnuts in the area. There is a whole forest on both sides of the road. Unfortunately… Yes, I use “unfortunately” many times. But unfortunately, I have to. There are many chestnuts, but the trees are old, some of them are down and there are not any sprouts. It is a pity because chestnut does not thrive and grow so easily. It picks its own habitat. Apparently, it had a good time for centuries, but I wonder for how long? 

We arrive at the first houses of Upper Stoliv. Some of them seem to be in good shape from the outside, but some are more or less ruined. We walked slowly, trying to soak up and feel the atmosphere of the village. The window shutters were closed in every house. Recent activities seem to be noticeable only in a few houses.  

In a text I read before coming here, from about three years ago, it said that the village has only one permanent resident. An older lady, very suspicious of visitors. While ascending the path, I heard a bell and I thought if there are animals, there are people here. Is the old lady still alive? Will she be in the mood for visitors? However, instead of the lady we hoped to meet, we saw a man next to a goat. We said hello in passing. Our goal was the church located in the village’s highest and most beautiful position. While we were enjoying the panoramic view from the terrace in front of the church, a group of four hikers joined us. They were from Nikšić, from the “Montenegro Team” mountaineering club. As one would say, we clicked and talked about the place and hiking experiences. Soon, the man we saw earlier also joined us. He is called Ronaldo and he is one of the three people currently inhabiting the village. He came back to his birthplace after a maritime career. He used to walk down from here to Lower Stoliv (and back) each day during his first four years of elementary school. Next four years he studied in Prčanj. I thought to myself that nobody had spine or overweight problems at that time. Ronaldo’s basic assignment these days is to take care of the church. By the way, Ronaldo is not his “artist name”, nor nickname, nor does it have anything to do with the famous football players. It’s the name his mother gave him, as she was a great fan of love novels at the time. I guess no one knew that name would be even more famous these days. 

Saint Ilija Church

The church is named after its protector, Saint Ilija. He is one of the saints celebrated by both Catholic and Orthodox believers. Catholics mark his day on 20 July, and Orthodox believers mark it two weeks later, on 2 August. Besides its phenomenal position, the Saint Ilija church in Upper Stoliv looks beautiful. Although, I am sure it remembers much better times. The church inside is ready for a serious restoration, although it would take a fair amount of expense. Ronaldo hopes for the help of good people, and he hopes that the Vatican will help also. Honestly, I also keep my fingers crossed. I think it would be such a pity to give up a religious object that has cultural and historical significance, to the wheel of time. There is a smaller church next to the church, above which are the remains of what used to be a school. The smaller, Saint Ana church settled just below the bigger one. Everything blends so perfectly in the ambient. However, there is not much information about these buildings. The Saint Ilija church is regarded to be built in the 16^th century, while the Saint Ana church dates back to the 17^th or 18^th century. The valuables this church is proud of are three altar paintings from Josip Tominc, a Slovenian painter from the 18^th century. 

The view from the terrace in front of the church is what gives this place a special charm. View of the Bay, edged by Orjen Mountain, with the sights of Perast and the islands is one of the most beautiful ones a traveler can experience and take as a memory from here.

If we did not have the rest of the day planned in detail, we would have stayed there longer. But I’m known for planning, and more importantly, sticking to the plan. So we went back down to an improvised tavern opened for the occasion. We declined coffee, not to torment the host, but most of us accepted a rakija. And with rakija, usually comes some refection. I receive messages from Podgorica, asking if it is windy down here, as the wind probably started in the Capital. But we were lucky to avoid it for a while. We sat and chatted on the terrace until the wind got to us also. The host said that there are many visitors during summer, mostly strangers. I guess Montenegrins cannot walk this much. That is why a small group of people dedicated to the restoration of the village primarily focused on building a road and they already started. On one hand, I totally understand, it is very hard to renovate houses if you must transport the material on a donkey or a horse. On the other hand, due to a steep slope, only the strong vehicles will be able to overcome this road once it is built. In addition, I hope the motorized visitors will not disturb the spirit and the balance of this place. It really goes as a walking place to me. While saying goodbye to the host, I thought to suggest he add “the view” to every receipt for his guests. The view is priceless, but still… he needs money to renovate his object. Going back, we walked past the “gustijerna”. When I first read the word (it’s not very common in Montenegro), I thought it was a mistake. Why not a “bistijerna”, the usual name of the well for gathering rainwater. Well, it seems there is also a “gustijerna”. “A built object for water”, by definition. 

We did not even feel the walk back. Legs were just going by themselves. We came down quick and easy. Close to the end of the trail, we saw the sea through the trees, a sight that always dazzles me. We said goodbye to our new friends from Nikšić. When they heard we still haven’t hiked the Ostrog Beams, they said it is a must and invited us to guide us there. So I am looking forward to that tour in the spring or summer. With that thought, we continued towards Orahovac, to find some more old trails and stunning Bay views.