Luštica Bay resident and author Ivana Maksimović reflects on the memories, landscapes and hidden coastal rituals that inspired Secret Montenegro.
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Ivana Maksimović reflects on Secret Montenegro
Luštica Bay resident and author Ivana Maksimović reflects on the moments and memories that inspired ‘Secret Montenegro’ – her recently released book which shares an insider’s view of this country’s hidden treasures.
A landscape of infancy and adulthood
Every time my flight banks left over the point of Trieste and the Croatian islands begin to give way to the inky sea and dark, fairy-tale mountains of Montenegro, I feel that same heady mix of anticipation and nostalgia. This is the landscape of my infancy and my adulthood, a place where the people, the stone, and the history are all deeply woven into my own story.
To me, Montenegro has never been a series of coordinates on a map. Rather, it is an emotional pull of kinship. One informed by the black-green of the pine forests, the indigo waters, and the dawns when mountains are the colour of weathered pewter.
As soon as I land, the first thing I do is head to the rocks. I stand barefoot, feeling the cool, sun-warmed grey stone beneath my feet, letting the salty spray settle on my skin. It is a moment of profound gratitude for this sparsely populated expanse that pulls me back to her waters time and time again.
When I first started exploring the Luštica Peninsula it wasn’t to write a book. I simply wanted to capture the secret Montenegro that I’ve known since my childhood summers here. The forgotten orchards and the almost indescribable views that catch you off guard as you crest a ridge. I wanted to document the parts of this land that don’t shout for attention: that specific kind of silence found in the medieval churches tucked into the folds of the hills, or the quiet stone villages where the only sound is the call to worship and the wheeling of seagulls.
Luštica Peninsula is where I have found my purest sense of belonging. Between the UNESCO-protected hush of Boka Bay and the crashing open waters of the Adriatic, this soil speaks to the soul of any wanderer. It was the pull that led me to make Luštica Bay my home in 2013, a place that feels like an organic extension of a life I’ve previously lived in these hills.
The secret Montenegro
There is a particular romance to the lagano rhythm of Luštica Bay’s Marina Village. In the morning, the world awakens with a gentle bustle while the colours and contrasts bring fresh inspiration for my own fashion line. Montenegro’s culture of embroidery and making is deep-seated, and I work with local girls to keep that spirit alive. In the evenings, we often set up a table in front of the store. Friends drop by without invitation, watching the masts of the boats sway in the twilight as we share local cheese and wine.
Even in this contemporary setting, the secret Montenegro is never far away.
I think of the tiny island of Žanjice where I christened both of my sons in a modest church that feels as old as the sea itself. We swim here often, looking towards the three fortresses dating from the Austrian Empire that serve as informal gateways to Montenegro: Arza, Mamula, and Prevlaka. Then my mind meanders to the village of Rose where bougainvillea straggles over walls and the past unknowingly spills into the present. Or I dream of boat rides to Bigova and of sitting under a canopy of vine leaves, eating razor clams and those sacred, enormous tomatoes grown by the same family for generations.
Sometimes, I roll down the stripy roof of my restored 1959 Fiat Cinquecento – a little piece of history in itself – and chase the sunset into the higher reaches of the peninsula. I pass donkeys drifting across the road then women selling traditional embroidered cloth, urns and eccentricities while they deftly farm their flocks of goats.
This is the Montenegro I love. A country where the traditional life of agriculture, olive oil and fishing has remained relevant and resonant, coexisting beautifully with the present day.
It is a rare joy to weave through a life that remains so stubbornly and naturally itself, entirely indifferent to the outside world.
You see, Montenegro’s greatest treasures aren’t on display. Hence this very book. They are held closely by the land, shown only to those who move slowly enough to notice. They are unearthed in the labyrinth of fjords that were once the territory of pirates and the Venetian Republic, in the pale waters around Sveti Marko where the light seems to hold a different weight, and in the smiles of humble vegetable sellers who are the true guardians of this coast.
Life at Luštica Bay
My life at Luštica Bay is an extension of these discoveries. This town respects the ancient architecture of the peninsula, allowing me to live within the same landscapes I once explored as a child. The modern world bows to the topography of the terrain, mirroring the central theme of Secret Montenegro: how wonderful it is to preserve the untouched while finding your place within it.
You can purchase your copy of the book Secret Montenegro at the Feel Alive office on the Luštica Bay promenade.