Perast - a chunck of Venice

On our way around Kotor Bay we passed Perast. This small town lies beneath the hill of St. Elijah and looks like a chunck of Venice has floated down the Adriatic and anchored itself onto the bay. Venice owned the city between 1420 and 1797 and the city´s 16 churches and 17 grand palazzos were mostly build in this period.

Just off shore are two picturesque islands. St George Island (Sveti Đorde) rises from a natural reef and houses a Benedictine monastery which was constructed at the end of the 12th century. Our-Lady-of-the-Rock Island (Gospa od Škrpjela) is particularly interesting since it is the only artificially built island in the Adriatic. It was built upon a rock (Škrpjel) after two venetian sailors from Perast found a picture of the Virgin Mary on it in 1452. The beautiful orthodox church on the island was erected in 1630 and houses a small museum. A taxi boat will take you to the island for €3.