The village Gornja Lastva is located in Tivat, more precisely on a small hill above the city. The village was abandoned and it remained an authentic nineteenth-century old Boka’s village. It is possible to get to the village by car, approx. 20 min drive from Tivat, and for someone who likes hiking, nature and climbing, this small adventure will be a delight.
This village is most charming in the spring, summer and autumn, when nature is most beautiful. Here visitors will find a majestic view of Tivat and Boka Kotorska. In search for a better quality of life, the residents of Gornja Lastva moved closer to the sea and closer to Tivat, leaving their hometown on a hill. Today all the guests can see how people used to live in Boka. There are several old stone houses in the village, which are a symbol of coastal towns, an old church from the 15th century, an old olive mill and a culture hall where the villagers spent their time. In the church of Saint Mary visitors can see an old altar from the seventeenth century, with a statue of Our Lady with little Jesus, which is a gift from the people of Perast.
The painting on the main altar is the work of a Venetian painter Andre Trevisan. On each side of the altar are stone statues of St Nicholas and St Blaise. In Boka, St Nicholas is the patron saint of the sailors.
Legend has it that the statue of St Joseph, located in the church, was brought from Italy to the village by men whose names were Joseph. And when the patron saint of the village is celebrated, the statue of St Joseph is carried in procession around the church. It is an old tradition of this village to name every male newborn baby Joseph. This tradition has long been preserved. It was said that there would probably come a time when there would be no more men in the village, thus no one to be named Joseph, but that the tradition of the procession should not be interrupted. And the procession continues even today.
The church owns various works of art. Not far from the church is an old olive mill. In this old house, you will see an original mill from the nineteenth century and how it used to produce olive oil. The mill can still be used today and it is open for visits.
In the old culture hall, the villagers used to have fun drinking wine and brandy, dancing to the music and singing by the fire. It is possible to visit the village every day - an old local man would arrive from Tivat and open the door of the church and mill to the guests. Everyone is welcomed with a pleasant smile, and with a coffee or a brandy. During the summer, Lastva summer festivities are held in this village, where you can enjoy the music, dance and folk costumes of the people of this area.
Author of the text:
Marijana Niković licensed tourist guide for Montenegro.
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