Trip Prologue
On June 1, 2025, our Starlight group chose a route rarely featured on the covers of guidebooks: Gornja Lastva, a tiny mountain village on the sunny slopes of Mount Vrmac, high above Tivat. Here, the sound of the sea dissolves into the rustling olive trees and stone steps, and instead of a bustling promenade, there’s a square with a bench and a memorial to those who died in World War II. The atmosphere is exactly what people seek out at the coast in the off-season: silence, long shadows, the scent of sage and limestone.
Important: Administratively, Gornja Lastva belongs to the municipality of Tivat, not Kotor, although the village overlooks the Bay of Kotor and is connected to Kotor by a network of trails along the Vrmac ridge.
Where is it: Landscape and Approaches
Gornja Lastva lies at an altitude of approximately 300 meters above sea level, deep in the Vrmac slope, surrounded by olive groves. Old rural roads and marked trails lead to it: you can ascend from the coastal Donja Lastva/Tivat in about 45 minutes, or walk along the famous Vrmac Ridge, offering panoramic views of both sides of the bay, from Kotor to Tivat. At the forks in the road, you’ll find yellow signs leading to Vrmac Fortress, Donja Lastva, and the village itself.
The view from the top is a neat textbook on Boka’s geography: closer is Tivat’s inner bay, and further away are the fjord-like bays and saddles of Vrmac, cut into the mountains. It is this dual panorama that makes little Lastva a favorite among hikers.
Historical Layers
Gornja Lastva is one of the rare examples of preserved rural architecture in Boka. Lastva has been mentioned in written sources since the Middle Ages (14th–16th centuries); the village was formed by stone houses with cisterns, courtyards, and grape-covered pergolas. The center of life was the square and the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (often simply called “St. Mary”), whose roots date back to the 15th century. The 1979 earthquake damaged some buildings, but many houses—including ancient manors—were restored to their traditional appearance.
In 1919, the Croatian tambourine society “Napredak” was founded in the village—a local cultural “engine” that continues to host educational and festival programs.
About the name
- “Gornja Lastva” = “Upper Lastva.” The Slavic adjective gornja/gornji means “upper, located higher (on a slope/above sea level)” and is usually contrasted with donja, meaning “lower.” In toponyms, this is precisely the “upper/lower” part of a single settlement (cf. Gornji/Donji, etc.).
- What is “Lastva?” Tivat linguists explain that “Lastva” is derived from the common Slavic noun laz (“clearing; small cultivated area in inaccessible terrain; plateau/bald spot on a hill; narrow mountain pass”) with the suffix -tva → the original form Laztva, which phonetically became Lastva. Thus, this is a toponym for an “inhabited clearing/plateau” on a slope.
- Final meaning. The name can be understood as “Upper (village on) a clearing/plateau” — in contrast to the coastal Donja Lastva (“Lower Lastva”) by the sea.
Events and Living Tradition
In summer, Gornja Lastva hosts the Lastovska Fešta, one of the longest-running folk festivals in Boka. In 2024, the festival celebrated its 50th anniversary—a symbolic milestone for this small town. The program ranges from performances by the Bokeljska Mornarica and local ensembles to evening concerts and fairs in front of the church and the Ilija Marković Community Center.
And in neighboring Donja Lastva, in winter, on Saturdays in February, the Lastovska Carnival is traditionally held, with a costumed procession and a “trial” of the Karneval on the pier near the Church of St. Roch—a characteristic rite of Boka culture. Although this is on the coast, historically, it is one Lastva—lower and upper.
What we saw and how the Starlight day went
We left early in the morning by car from Kotor. The climb from Gornja Lastva is a series of stone serpentines among olive trees, thyme, and old dry masonry. By midday, there’s a square with a bench and a memorial obelisk to the villagers who died in the war; a few cars, and silence broken only by the ringing of a bell. Because of the altitude and the exposed slope, the light here is especially crisp: the stone literally glows.
We stopped by the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (St. Mary)—a modest façade, a whitewashed bell tower, surrounded by low fences, rosemary, and wild grape vines. Further on, the trail leads to Vrmac Fortress and the viewpoint at Sveti Vid: from here, you can see the entire Tivat Bay, Verige—the narrowest “neck” of the Boka—and the distant islands.
Interesting facts that make Lastva special
- An open-air “museum village.” In Gornja Lastva, you can still see the typical layout of a Boka village: narrow streets, terraced soliums, stone benches at the entrances, star cisterns—and olive trees everywhere.
- Two worlds on either side of the ridge. Vrmac divides the panorama: on the left, the Bay of Kotor with Kotor, on the right, Tivat and the Adriatic. That’s why the classic daytime route is “Kotor → Vrmac → Gornja Lastva → Tivat.”
- Festival continuity. The summer Lastovska fešta in Gornja Lastva and the winter carnival in Donja Lastva are a rare combination.A series of events that show how the “higher” and “lower” levels of one historic community maintain traditions year-round.
- Cultural pillars. The Napredak Society (founded in 1919) has been systematically involved in local history, music, and heritage restoration for many years—from concerts to architectural workshops.
Practical notes for future trips
- When to go. Late spring and early summer offer the perfect balance of weather and tranquility: the trails are dry, the heat is still bearable, and the views are at their clearest. (Local guidebooks to Tivat also recommend this time.)
- How to get there. The nearest airport is Tivat (~10 km). From the city, walk, bike, or drive along the mountain road; a hike along the Vrmac ridge offers the most spectacular views.
- What to expect once you get there. No “mass tourism”: a few streets, a church, rural houses, silence, springs, and benches. Bring water, a hat, and shoes with tread—the rock here is “soapy” after dew.
Aftertaste
Gornja Lastva offers a rare glimpse of the pristine Boka. It lacks the “postcard” drama of Kotor, but it offers intimacy and authenticity: rock, olives, a bell, and a view that explains why people settled here. For us, this spot was the perfect starting point for the 2025 summer season.
