Vipava Valley
The Vipava Valley marks the end (or the beginning) of the vast northern Italian plain: first Friuli, then the Po Plain. The valley takes its name from the Vipava River, which rises from a rare delta spring in the town of the same name. Canoes and stand-up paddleboards can be rented for trips down the river, and the valley is increasingly popular with cycling enthusiasts.
Due to the difference in altitude and temperature between the Trnovo Plateau and the valley, strong bora winds (burja in Slovenian) sweep across in winter, sometimes reaching speeds of up to 235 km/h.
One of the most picturesque places is Vipavski Križ, a medieval village with a manor house, a Franciscan monastery, and a school (the village church is shown in the illustration). The largest town is Ajdovščina, which has become the region's economic hub in recent decades. The textile factory Tekstina has been operating here since 1828, joined by the Mlinotest bakery and pasta industry (established in 1867) and Fructal, one of Yugoslavia's best-known juice and spirits producers, which was established in 1945 to process local fruit.
Among today's companies, the most famous is Pipistrel, a world-renowned manufacturer of light aircraft founded in Ajdovščina by Ivo Boscarol in 1989, which was later sold and moved across the border. Also based in Ajdovščina is Sartorius BIA Separations, established in 1998, a leading developer of monolithic technology and the sole producer of chromatography columns for the production, purification, and analysis of large biological molecules.
The Hubelj River, which flows through Ajdovščina, once formed the border between Goriška and Carniola, two regions of the Habsburg Monarchy. The old boundary still echoes in the names of the villages above Ajdovščina: Predmeja (literally "before the border") and Col (from the German Zoll, meaning "customs").
The Vipava Valley is also an important wine-growing region, producing local varieties such as Pinela, Zelen, and Klarnica, alongside international varieties like Rebula, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot.
Olive cultivation has also been spreading in recent years due to climate change.
Rihemberk Castle
Towering above Branik, is considered the best-preserved castle in the valley. Originally built to control trade routes, it now hosts cultural and social events and serves as a home to numerous bat species.
Avtor: Blaž Kosovel