Mighty castles and fabulous mansions, magnificent churches and inaccessible fortresses are a treat for big history buffs, but the real life is and has always been in the villages. Along the Reka river, on the gentle hills of Brkini, in the Podgorje Valley and in the Upper Pivka Valley, ancient villages are still going strong, transforming the unyielding land into the cultural landscape that Ilirska Bistrica is famous for. Heritage and tradition, the fruits of nature, old arts and crafts – all the things that make life worth living are still very much alive here. 

Old fruit varieties – apples, pears, and plums – that master orchardists still tend to as they always have give us fantastic brandy and fruit juices, and the lakes as well as the Reka river are a true fisherman's paradise. You can relax for a couple of starry nights at an old farm, enjoying life as it once used to be, and stuff yourself with hardy food that you can no longer get anywhere else.