romantic weekend on the roads of Collio, on the border between Italia and Slovenia

busy days and weeks, and then suddenly, like a breath of fresh air, a couple of days just for ourselves: riding together under the spring rain, drying up under the warm golden light of the afternoon, exploring new roads, tasting new things, finding our temporary hideaway in the woods.

as much as I can enjoy our daily life, jobs and routine at home, I love our lambretta weekends away. they kind of charge my batteries.

this time, we went a few kilometers east, to the famous wine region called Collio Goriziano in its italian part, and Brda when you cross the national border and enter to Slovenia.

a getaway in the woods

the destination at the top of this weekend’s list was La Subida, a green-tourism resort deep in the hills and vineyards of Collio Goriziano, which includes a michelin-starred restaurant (Trattoria al Cacciatore), an hearty osteria, a few rustic lodges for guests who enjoy countryside charm and silence, a few kilometers of walking paths in the green and some other amenities.

among them, we find our little 1-night home, a nest in the woods. when we checked in at the lobby, they gave us, with the keys, a small flashlight. that is because La Subida’s nest room is hidden in a walking path, surrounded by ferns, trees, birds and, after sunset, very dark darkness. I fell in love with it when I saw its glass wall facing the woods oh their website, and decided we needed to go (not mentioning the hot tub).

I was completely charmed by the smell of wood, the delicate morning light filtered through the trees into the room, the birds songs, the bright green of the ferns.

riding from Collio to the Isonzo Valley

but we did not hide in the nest for the rest of the weekend. 

we asked to La Subida’s staff, as local expert, to recommend us a nice itinerary for the day. so, with a map covered with scribbled, we spent the next few hours riding across the beautiful vineyards and small towns of Collio, then met the emerald river called Isonzo in italian and Soča in slovenian and explored the peaceful and picturesque valley where it flows, and arrived to Kobarid (or Caporetto), a towns closely linked to world war I, that now fortunately appears to be a little quiet slovenian village. 

if we had more time, and the weather had been more accommodating, we’d spent some time in Kobarid, visiting the museum and hiking in one of the many itineraries in town. but after a lovely lunch at Hiša Polonka (worth mentioning, write down the name if you ever go to Kobarid) it started raining again, and we needed to, slowly, go back home.