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 Sveti Marko (Formerly known as Stradioti) is an island on the Adriatic Sea, in the Montenegrin municipality of Tivat.
Sveti Marko Island is located near the town of Tivat, in the Bay of Kotor. It is aligned with the Tivat’s other island, Prevlaka Island.
The island is entirely covered with greenery. In 1962, a tourist settlement was built there, with 500 Tahiti-style houses, without water supply or electricity. It was managed by Club Med, and until the Yugoslav wars, it was a very popular tourist destination. Today, it is mostly abandoned, making the island a somewhat exotic and mysterious destination.

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It is situated at 1,678 metres above sea level. It is of glacial origin, 480 metres long and 330 metres wide and the maximum depth is 37 metres. The clear, green waters of the lake and the reflection of the limestone rocks captivate its visitors and is increasingly becoming a favourite camping site of mountaineers and fishermen. It can be reached from Nikšić through the Zagrad, Luka Bojovića, Bara Bojovića and Nikšinog Kiljana Mines. By car it takes one hour fifteen minutes. The road is paved until Luka Bojovića, from where there is a gravel track to the lake. Normal cars can reach the lake with a careful drive. The other road to the lake, from Velje Duboko is intended only for the most powerful 4-wheel drive vehicles.

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Sveti Stefan (literally “Saint Stephen”; Montenegrin: Sveti Stefan/Свети Стефан, Italian: Santo Stefano di Pastrovicchio) is a seaside resort in western Montenegro, located 5 km southeast of Budva, on the Budva Riviera (42°15′20″N 18°53′28″ECoordinates: 42°15′20″N 18°53′28″E). It used to be a tidal island, but is
now permanently connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus.

In the 15th century the island was a fishermen’s village. In the 1950s the last residents of the village were evicted, and Sveti Stefan was transformed into a luxury town-hotel. The streets, walls, roofs and façades of the buildings were, for the most part, preserved, while the interior of the building were transformed to offer the most modern luxury hotel comfort.

Sveti Stefan, in the 1970′s, was popular among celebrities, and among its guests were Marilyn Monroe, Willy Brandt, Bobby Fischer, Boris Spassky, Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, Monica Vitti, Ingemar Stenmark, Kirk Douglas, Jonathan Miller and Claudia Schiffer.

It remained the most exclusive resort on the Montenegro’s coast until the 1990′s, when it fell into decline during the breakup of the former Yugoslav federation.

In 2006, Villa Montenegro, one of the villas situated by the very bank of the isthmus connecting the island with the mainland, won the prestigious Five Star Diamond Award, which is handed out by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences for superior quality of service.

Amanresorts became interested in the iconic island of Sveti Stefan as early as 2001. When the opportunity came in 2006 through the Government of Montenegro privatization programme to secure the redevelopment rights over the island, Amanresorts as the principal operating partner, put together a consortium of financial partners to bid for the project. The bid was successful and in January 2007 the consortium was awarded the leasehold and redevelopment rights over Sveti Stefan and Kraljinca Plaza (Queen’s Beach).

Unfortunately with the global financial crisis the project was unable to secure the necessary financing to mobilize construction for the island and rather concentrated initially on logistical and technical planning and in the complete reconstruction of Villa Milocer the former royal family retreat overlooking the island. Villa Milocer with eight beautifully appointed suites was fully operational since late 2008.

Aman is committed to restoring this national heritage site and extremely happy to now welcome The Restis Group as a major financial partner in the consortium and now looks forward to moving ahead quickly with the planned redevelopment.

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Njegoš’s Mausoleum is situated on the very top of Jezerski Peak of the Lovcen Massif, 1675 m above sea level. Its foundations were built into six-metre deep mountain rock. A path from Cetinje, about 20 km long, leads to this magnificent monument. In order to reach the mausoleum one still needs to climb up 461 steps.
The chapel is the most impressive part of the mausoleum. It is a roofed facility with six sides and one central niche, built with the finest Boka and Brac marble. At a height of 9 metres, the ceiling is covered with fascinating mosaic with over 200,000 gilded tiles. A grandiose sculpture of Njegoš, the work of the famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović is dominant in front the central niche where there also is the sarcophagus bearing his remains. The sarcophagus is reminiscent of traditional Montenegrin graves, with the national coat of arms and the cross engraved in the stone, as the symbol of Njegoš’s state and spiritual roles.

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Medun (Medeon, Meteon), is an old town and fortress, situated 13 kilometers northeast from Podgorica, Montenegro. It was erected originally as a fortress, later on as a town, between 4th and 3rd century BC.Map of the border between Greeks,Thracians and Illyrians showing Meteon

Well preserved walls of the fortress were built of big blocks of trimmed stone, placed in a number of rows. With respect to solidity and size of the construction it substantially differs from the construction of other, less significant Illyrian towns. From the cultural-artistic point of view, two lower dig ups in the rock on the road from the lower to the upper town are very interesting. Studies refer to the conclusion that it was the place of performance of rituals related to the cult of snake that represented myth ancestor to the Illyrians. Necropolis is sited north from the upper town. It originates from the Illyrian period, but has not been studied.

Medun was mentioned by Titus Livius at the end of the old and beginning of the new era. The town is assumed to have been founded in the 3rd century BC, at the latest. It was referred to later, in the 7th century, by the Ravenna Geographer.

Roman legions conquered Medun around 167 AD On that occasion the last Illyrian king Gentius and his family were captivated. The 1444 charter of King Alfonse V documents Medun as the property of Stjepan Vukčić Kosača. In 1445, Herceg Stjepan ceded the Upper Zeta and the Medun fortress to despot Đurađ. A duke of despot Đurađ defended Medun in 1452 from Stefan I Crnojević who was a duke in the Venetian service. In 1455, despot Đurađ had to give the fortress to the Turks in their victorious drive through Southeastern Europe.

In all probability, the medieval fortification had been built well before its first mention in written sources.

Besides the stairways cut into the cliffs on all sides, dating from the Illyrian period, from this earlier period is also a portion of the west wall, subsequently built over by a medieval wall. Different parts of the medieval fortification date from different periods.

The famous writer, and Kuči tribe leader, Montenegrin duke and hero Marko Miljanov lived at the foot of walls of the town and the fortress. He was buried in the acropolis in front of the small church.

Medun has not yet been studied sufficiently. Not only that it is interesting for its distant and rich past, it also represents an object significant for studying of all cultural epochs from prehistoric to Middle Ages.

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Mamula is located on the entrance to the Boka Kotorska bay. It is strategically located between Prevlaka and Luštica peninsulas.

This small islet is of circular shape, and has 200 m in diameter. It is 3.4 nautical miles (6.3 km) away from Herceg Novi.

The island has a fort on it, built by Austro-Hungarian general Lazar Mamula in mid 19th century. During the World War II, the fort was used as a prison by Italians, from May 30, 1942 onwards. The prison is known for the torture and cruelty the prisoners withstood. It is a very pretty island that some say shouldn’t be wasted for Prison.

The fort is today left to deteriorate. However, the island is still visited by boats, mainly from Herceg Novi, as it is popular one-day trip destination, and has some nice beaches.
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