THE MAGIC GORIŠKA BRDA 09.00 am arrival to the Kayak Centre Solkan; welcome drink , short presentation of the program 09.30 am Soča Fun Park – activities in the adventure park 12.00 pm departure towards Goriška Brda 12.15 pm view tower Gonjače (guide) 12.30 pm lunch in Brda 02:00 pm guided tour of the medieval town Šmartno 03.00 pm departure towards the village Gradno 03:15 pm walk through the Brda oldest olive grove till the church of Gradno and sightseeing 04:00 pm departure towards a typical Brda wine cellar 04:15 pm visit of the wine cellar, wine tasting of different samples of Brda wines and olive oil 05:30 pm return home IMPORTANT * Hours are indicative due to the presentation of duration of each part of the program * The final price depends of number of participants * Minimum number of participants: 10 participants Detailed program In the morning we will gather in Solkan in the yard of Kayak Centre Solkan, where we will be welcomed by experienced and qualified adventure park instructors. While we will enjoy our morning coffee or juice and a croissant in the nearest bar, the instructors will present us the program. After the welcome we will board the raft and cross the emerald Soča river. On the right bank of the river we will enter the Soča Fun Park and under the auspices of the instructors we will face a two- hour adventure among the treetops. Obstacles in the adventure park will be overcome at a height of 2 to 10 m above the ground. In the end, we will try the "descent of courage" – we will return to the left bank along a 40 m height and 300 m long zip-line. Afterwards we will leave Solkan and drive to Goriška Brda, over the bridge of Solkan. While crossing the bridge, a breathtaking view will open over the emerald beauty (the Soča river) and the elegant stone railway bridge with the largest stone arch in the world. The so-called Osimo road, which runs partly on the Italian territory, will take us over the slopes of Sabotin hill to Goriška Brda. We will drive through the villages Podsabotin and Hum and onwards through Kojsko, the former centre of the eastern Brda. The picturesque landscape of the Brda vineyards and orchards will accompany us forward to Gonjače, where we will visit the monument to victims of the Second World War, the work of sculptor Janez Boljka and climb up the 23 meter high view tower. From this point, a view opens over the entire Brda and much further, to the Julian and Carnic Alps, the Dolomites, through Friuli to the Adriatic Sea, the Karst, Vipava valley and Trnovo wood, all the way to Nanos; a fairy-tale landscape, which has a special, magic power. Brda, a land of hills nestles halfway between the Alps and the Adriatic, maintains and develops its tradition, protects its beauty and bestows beneficial effects that can be recognized and felt by everyone who comes to this region. Brda is the place where juicy local fruit grows, excellent wines are produced, delicious local food can be tasted; a place where one can walk through green vineyards, orchards and olive groves and find inner peace in the authentic nature. After the visit of Gonjače we will have a typical Brda lunch and enjoy the view over the Brda hills. After lunch we will head towards the medieval village of Šmartno, first mentioned in 1317, surrounded by walls and fortified with five towers, which stand by three entrances. When entering the Šmartno fortification and walking around the narrow streets among the old and newer houses, the feeling of being in a medieval labyrinth crosses the visitor´s mind. Here one can see a typical house of Brda, a house with »spahnjenca« (open fireplace on the exterior part of the house) and the House of culture. The church of St. Martin gives a beautiful image to a village. It was painted by Tone Kralj. In past, its campanile was just one of defensive towers. From Šmartno our path will takes us further to Gradno, a small village full of interesting details. Its name probably derives from “graden” (sessile oak), an oak species that was once the most common tree in Brda. Here stands the picturesque Church of St. George where Stations of the Cross were painted partly by the world-renowned painter Zoran Mušič and partly by the painter and graphic artist Lojze Spacal. On the church wall there is a memorial plate dedicated to a priest, a prominent national revival figure, a publicist and a pedagogue Andrej Žnidarčič who served in Gradno for 28 years and whose efforts were dedicated to restraining the penetration of the Italian spirit organized in the Lega Nazionale. In the village you can see two nice examples of renovated dry stone walls made of local sandstone. This kind of walls are a true rarity nowadays in Brda. Above one of these walls, the oldest olive grove in Brda stands in the sun. From the olive grove we will drive to the centre of Brda, Dobrovo. The path will lead us past the largest Slovenian wine cellar and the Renaissance castle of Dobrovo. We will continue through Medana to a typical Brda homestead, where we will visit the wine cellar. The winemaker will invite us to taste different samples of the typical local wines and olive oil. After the tasting, in the afternoon hours, we will say goodbye to Goriška Brda and return home over the Italian part of Brda (Collio). ProAktiv Sport d.o.o., Pot na breg 11, 5250 Solkan, ID za DDV: SI96110210, mat.št.: 5601851, kontakt: +386 40 377 477, e-pošta: [email protected], TRR: SI56 051008013633148 .