Šmarje: Churches, wine-growing and hilly landscapes

Šmarje brings together churches and architectural history with wine and olive growing, as well as hilly landscapes with sweeping views. If you’re looking for a hotel for a stay here, you can plan around whether you’re especially interested in historic buildings, a wine tasting, or the landscape and routes. These themes offer different ways to explore the place: the churches point to its long architectural history, while wine and olive growing and the hilly landscape reveal other facets of Šmarje.

Churches and architectural history

The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most important buildings in Šmarje; its interior was renovated in the 1960s. The parish church in Šmarje was built on the ruins of an old pre-Romanesque building, probably as early as the 11th century. “Pre-Romanesque” refers to a period of architecture before the Romanesque era and places the older building in its historical context. The dating of the parish church to the 11th century is explicitly considered probable. The church’s architecture thus combines evidence of early building history with a documented renovation of the interior in the 20th century.

Wine and olive growing in Šmarje

The Santomas estate includes almost 24 hectares of vineyards, five hectares of olive groves, a winery, a tasting room and a modern olive oil mill. In terms of area, the vineyards are just under five times as large as the olive groves. Santomas markets its wines under its own Santomas brand. Wine tastings take place in the tasting room at the Santomas winery. A tour of the estate is offered as part of a tasting; lunches or dinners with guided wine tastings are also organised at the estate. Advance arrangements are recommended for the tastings described, the estate tour and meals with guided wine tastings.

The wine and olive-growing estate of Ludvika Nazarija Glavina is located in Šmarje pri Kopru. Its wines and distinctive Šmarje olive oil are marketed under the Santomas brand. Wine and olive oil are therefore among the things you can learn more about during a stay in the area; the options range from a tasting to a meal with a guided wine tasting.

Hilly landscapes and views

Šmarje is one of the settlements that characterise the landscape of the Šmarje-Mareziško Hills. The hilly region offers views across the entire hinterland of Koper. From Šmarje, you can also see the surrounding hills and villages, as well as the bays of Koper and Trieste. The views therefore span everything from the settlement landscape to the two named bays.

At the edges of settlements in the Šmarje-Mareziško Hills, a cultural landscape is being preserved whose mosaic consists mainly of olive groves and vineyards. Šmarje also plays an important role in the development of the Dragonja tourist and recreational area. Both the distinctive hilly landscape and the broader Dragonja landscape are therefore part of what defines the area.

Routes through Šmarje

The “Across Šmarje down the Dragonja Valley” route passes through Šmarje. The Koprski “mare e monti” cycling route also passes through the area. Most of this cycling route is described as running on asphalt, gravel and farm tracks, and is considered relatively easy overall. The qualification “overall” matters when planning: it describes the character of most of the route, not necessarily every section. If you want to assess a cycling route by its surface and difficulty, the Koprski “mare e monti” offers specific points of reference.

Discover more destinations: Tinjan, Babiči, Boršt, Koper, Zgornje Škofije, Dekani, Hrastovlje, Labor.

Go to the main travel overview: Koper.