Let's begin with Piran:

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/MS_55_vecja_437_big.jpg
Photo: B. Bajzelj and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2004/19-Venetian-House-at-the--T_1482_big.jpg
Photo: Ubald Trnkoczy and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2004/25-Market_1488_big.jpg
Photo: Ubald Trnkoczy and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2004/23-Street-of--Piran_1486_big.jpg
Photo: Ubald Trnkoczy and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/228_big_MS_59.jpgvecja.jpg
Photo: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Minoritski_Samostan_Sv_Franciska_Piran.JPG
Photo: destinacije.com (Thanks to SinCity for showing me this site!)

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Zupnijska_Cerkev_Sv_Jurija_Piran.JPG
Photo: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Piran.JPG
Photo: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Cerkev_Marije_Zdravja.JPG
Photo: destinacije.com

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2004/31-Sunset-Seen-From-Strunja_1504_big.jpg
Photo: Ubald Trnkoczy and slovenia-tourism.si

simply beautiful.... :-)

Thanks, Peterthegreat!

Izola is another interesting town on Slovenia's short coast. Isola means "island" in Italian, and in fact, the town used to be on an island just off the shore, but was connected to the mainland in the 19th century. Unlike Piran, Izola is not a major tourist destination, but it's also very attractive and has an authentic Mediterranean atmosphere. It's more of a "real" town than picture-postcard Piran.

Introducing Izola...

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/234_big_MS_63.jpgvecja.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Izola.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/MS_44_vecja_565_big.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

http://marinaizola.teambreskva.com/images/foto/izola2.jpg
Source: marinaizola.com

http://www.matkurja.com/projects/wine/regions/primorje/img/447_16.jpg
Source: Miso Alkalaj and matkurja.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Manziolijeva_Hisa-Palaca_Manzioli.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Fontego-Skladiste_Zita.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Ladjedelnica_Izola-Brodogradiliste_Izola.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Arkadni_Loki-Portoni-Arkadni_Lukovi.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/240_big_MS_65.jpgvecja.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Zupnijska_Cerkev_Sv_Mavra-Zupna_Crkva_Sv_Maura.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Zvonik_Cerkve_Sv_Mavra-Zvonik_Crkve_Sv_Maura.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/CrkveiSvetista/Oratorij_Sv_Ivana.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Palaca_Besenghi_Degli_Ughi.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/MS_56_vecja_438_big.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.destinacije.com/Slike/Slovenija/NaseljaiGradevine/Obcinska_Palaca-Gradska_Palaca.JPG
Source: destinacije.com

*****************************************

And here are two night shots of Piran that I should have included in my first post:

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/208_big_MS_38.jpgvecja.jpg
Source: A. Fevzer and slovenia-tourism.si

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/213_big_MS_46.jpgvecja.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-tourism.si

Mmm, beatiful. Izola is very underrated compared to Piran.The worst thing about Piran (which is a very beautiful town) is the little 'train' that comes from Portoroz to pick up tourists, it shouts "PORTOROZ, PORTOROZ, PORTOROZ" from a loudspeaker which isn't very nice. Portoroz itself is nice though, are we going to get some pics? :) (Koper too!)

Piran:

http://www.e-fotografija.com/artman/uploads/piran.jpg

The worst thing about Piran (which is a very beautiful town) is the little 'train' that comes from Portoroz to pick up tourists, it shouts "PORTOROZ, PORTOROZ, PORTOROZ" from a loudspeaker which isn't very nice.

LOL! There's also a "train" like that in Ljubljana, and I don't like it either. Too tacky for my taste.

Portoroz itself is nice though, are we going to get some pics? :) (Koper too!)

Yes, I'll post pics of Portoroz and Koper in the days ahead, since I'm doing this in stages. However, if you want to post some now, feel free to do so!

OK, let's look at Koper now. This is the biggest (with a population between 25,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, depending on your criteria) and most industrial of Slovenia's coastal towns; it is also a large port, serving many parts of Central Europe. Koper has plenty of commieblocks, some even in the middle of the historic old town (!). It is also the administrative center of Slovenia's coastal region and has a television station that was once distributed throughout Italy. It is not a traditional tourist destination, but it definitely has its charm -- and plenty of very attractive squares and buildings.

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH_PanoramaMesto.jpg
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/360_PanoramaKoper.html) to see this panorama.

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH360Koper_TitovTrg01.JPG
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/360Koper_SF_TitovTrg.htm) to see this panorama.

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH_PresernovTrg.jpg
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/SF_PresernovTrgVodnjak.html) to see this panorama.

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH360Koper_CarpacciovTrg.JPG
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/360Koper_CarpacciovTrg.html) to see this panorama.

http://www.uvi.si/img/photo/slovenia/medium/011.jpg
Source: S. Klemenc and uvi.si

http://www.koper.si/images/users/5/slike/jedro.jpg
Source: Matevz Lenarcic and koper.si

http://www.kalamar-architects.com/images/merc3b.jpg
Source: www.kalamar-architects.com

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/photoalbum/2003/161_big_MS_17.jpgvecja.jpg
Source: J. Skok and slovenia-toursim.si

http://www.obala.net/clanki/b/1527.jpg
Source: obala.net

http://www.koper.si/portalpart/slikatedna/images/velika/60_loggia.jpg
Source: koper.si

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH360Koper_Pristanisce.JPG
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/360Koper_Pristanisce.html) to see this panorama.

http://www.burger.si/Koper/VRH_KapodistTrg.jpg
Click here (http://www.burger.si/Koper/360_KapodistTrg.html) to see this panorama.

Thanks AZ2SI! Keep posting more of Slovenia here. :)

Nice photos :) Although to tell you the truth, the Istrian coastal towns of Slovenia and Croatia look almost the same, especially Piran and Rovinj, so sometimes i am having really a hard time recognizing which ones are Slovenian or Croatian lol :D

I have been to Koper, and Portoroz and both are very beautiful, but different!

Portoroz---- very touristy, a bunch of hotels, casinos, restaurants, beautiful people, surrounded by hills, and a view of the beautiful Adriatic..

http://www.ananina.com/pic_portoroz06_full.jpg

Koper----much more historic, beautiful, has great restaurants, sunsets are amazing! and the ice cream is good too :D

http://www.slovenia-tourism.si/pictures/town/PanoramaKoper.jpg

AZ2SI ....... just a question ......

Do Slovenes on the coastal towns speak the same as people for instance in Ljubljana? Similar dialects?

For instance in Rovinj, Croatia, the locals all speak Italian freely in public places. Not just the Italian minority but the majority of all Croats. Istria is bi-lingual and wanted to know if it was the same on your section of the coast as well?

Do Slovenes on the coastal towns speak the same as people for instance in Ljubljana? Similar dialects?

Absolutely not. Slovenia's dialects are incredibly diverse and it is often very difficult for people in one region to understand people in another if they only use their local dialect. I was in Primorska the other day, and it is really interesting to listen to the locals' dialect, since it has a completely different rhytm to it than what I'm used to. They use many Italian words (pomodori, forno), but the sound itself is also considerably Italian-influenced, and they have plenty of regional phrases and expressions. I also noticed some parallels with Croatian; for instance, "outside" is "vani," not "zunaj" as it would be in standard Slovene. The difference between some of Slovenia's old dialects (for example, the one from Primorska and the one from Prekmurje) is greater than the difference between some languages. Slovenians from different regions lived completely separately for centuries, and were always influenced by the neighbors closest to them, so they still have very different traditions and mentalities.

For instance in Rovinj, Croatia, the locals all speak Italian freely in public places. Not just the Italian minority but the majority of all Croats. Istria is bi-lingual and wanted to know if it was the same on your section of the coast as well?

Yes, Slovenia's coastal areas are fully bilingual. For instance, all street signs are in both languages, the Italians have their own schools, etc. The also have an Italian-language televison station (you can see a RealVideo stream of today's newscast by clicking here (http://ava.rtvslo.si/ava/media?action=play&mediaId=1847702)). However, I don't think that the Slovenian population ever speaks Italian with non-Italians: as I mentioned, there are plenty of Italian words and expressions in use, but that's generally it.

Absolutely not. Slovenia's dialects are incredibly diverse and it is often very difficult for people in one region to understand people in another if they only use their local dialect. I was in Primorska the other day, and it is really interesting to listen to the locals' dialect, since it has a completely different rhytm to it than what I'm used to. They use many Italian words (pomodori, forno), but the sound itself is also considerably Italian-influenced, and they have plenty of regional phrases and expressions. I also noticed some parallels with Croatian; for instance, "outside" is "vani," not "zunaj" as it would be in standard Slovene. The difference between some of Slovenia's old dialects (for example, the one from Primorska and the one from Prekmurje) is greater than the difference between some languages. Slovenians from different regions lived completely separately for centuries, and were always influenced by the neighbors closest to them, so they still have very different traditions and mentalities.



Yes, Slovenia's coastal areas are fully bilingual. For instance, all street signs are in both languages, the Italians have their own schools, etc. The also have an Italian-language televison station (you can see a RealVideo stream of today's newscast by clicking here (http://ava.rtvslo.si/ava/media?action=play&mediaId=1847702)). However, I don't think that the Slovenian population ever speaks Italian with non-Italians: as I mentioned, there are plenty of Italian words and expressions in use, but that's generally it.

Very interesting. Thanks for that AZ2SI!

Its the same situation in Croatia and we have a large diversity in dialects as well. The difference for example with a person speaking in Zagreb or Zagorje is radically different to say a Croat from the Island of Korcula.

The coastal region uses a lot of Italian too. I'm from Zadar and while I thought I spoke at times using Croatian words, I later found out I was using a lot of Italian vocabulary, not to mention the "Ikavski" version of the Croatian language.

In the north, they use a variety of German and Hungarian words in their dialects and in the border areas close to Slovenia it is so similar to Slovene.

When I was in Rovinj in Istria many times I found that the local Croats spoke Italian in public. I heard Italian used everywhere, but if you wanted them to, they would speak to you in Croatian. Thats why I thought that maybe you guys had it similar in Koper, etc.

Most of people in Croatian part of Istrian peninsula do speak Croatian in public whether they are Croatians or Italians, although both are very good at Italian too. It's also interesting that their local dialect which is Cakavski sounds by rhythm and 'grammar' a lot like standard Slovene. I call it 'dalmatian kajkavian' lol, sure there ain't 'kaj' in their dialect, but their way of making sentences and order of the words is closer to Slovene than to Croatian, like 'pa' 'kje', 'kdo', 'ali' instead of Croatian 'ili', then many verbs end on an 'L' (i.e. rekel, delal, povedal and so on).

Speaking of dialects of Croatian Zagorje and Medjimurje, this is confusing even for me lol. In Medjimurje (Northern Croatia) and Prekmurje( Eastern Slovenia), in both regions people speak a mixture of Hungarian-Slovene-Croatian( Kajkavski, but different kajkavski than in Zagorje)- that an average Slovene or Croat can hardly understand, probably cuz each town or village has its own dialect, too, that just makes it worse :D. I know cuz i have relatives in Lendava.

Dialect of Croatian Zagorje is a lot clearer and therefore more understandable but could give a bad headache to people from Dalmatia and Slavonia lol cuz it really does sound like Slovene.

There are also some dialects mixed of Slovene and Croatian words spoken in Bela Krajina (southern Slovenia) and in some parts of Dolenjska.

I know this is getting way off-topic, but it's an interesting discussion, so what the heck: Half of my family is from Bela Krajina and I can speak the local dialect. It does indeed have many words in common with Croatian: for example, "I don't know" is "neznam," rather than the Slovenian "ne vem." This is a result of both the proximilty to Croatia as well as the influence of Croatian and Serb uskoki (refugees from the Turks). In fact, Bela Krajina (maybe I should start a thread about the region one day) is the only part of Slovenia to have an indigenous Serb population -- a few remote villages.

Some old folk songs from Bela Krajina show the strong influence of Croatian and Serb very well. Take a look at this one:

Pobelelo pole z ovcama

Pobelelo pole z ovcama.
Ne imale ovce čobana.
Več maleno dete Jakove.
Čobanče je leglo, zaspalo.
Vile su mu srce vadile.
»Ali poznaš, sinko, koje so?«
Ti si, majku, srce vadila.
Sestrica je tanjor držala,
Ljubica je milo plakala.
Tebi ču ja, majko, odprostit.
Sestri ču ja srce izvadit.
A lubo ču verno poljubit.
(Source: katalena.net)

As you can see, the language is very similar to present-day standard Croatian -- moreso, I guess, than the Kajkavski dialect of Croatian, which, for example, uses "bum" (like "bom" in Slovenian) instead of "ču".

To see how different Slovenian dialects are from one another, compare that with excerpts of two different forms of Resian, a dialect spoken in the Italian valley of Resia (from purl.org/resianica):

Din den Jëśuš anu S. Piërï ni so šli dolu po Pojë ko ni so vidali da te slabi timp an naredil no vliko šködo tu-w njwa. Pierïn ko an videl so ric an se smilil śis Jëśuša to k naredil te slabi timp. Jëśuš je mu rekal da judi ni ćjeio mët śa jest śa iso letu pa ćje timp je naredil so rec ma an ga vidël da an mël sulśe döpö lanita anu an mu rekal da to letu k pride an ćjë mu najat njumù quaśat timpu. To letu dopö je pašlà na lipa štagiun anu Piërin an pokaśal Jëśušu da panule, krampir, kùśulavi nu bobowji, to so bili ni lipi anu da ni so rastli lopu.

Ty jüdë kä tau ty tärdë nöće so hudylë, ny so vydälë no pryvlyko lüč; nu jta pryblysgälä nu sä rystrantynälä tä-nä jte kä so stalë täu te čüdne śemje. Dän vlykë hlas än ǵjäl tadej “Ty sy prydopläjäl vësalöst nu pusdyhnöl dubruto. Jüdë se väsälyjo täu tabe tej sä sä väsäly ko sä sy śdyljüuä bohätyjo.

AZ2SI, that is very interesting. There is quite some diversity in those 3 examples. Even more interesting is that the geographic locations we are talking about arent that very big and yet the diversity of language through dialect can actually be very significant.

Its true also how language can be diverse even with adjoing towns. My parents came from places a few kilometres apart and yet I have to adapt my vocabulary in both places, otherwise I get a "WTF" from the relatives LOL :D