Soča Valley
The turquoise river below the Julian Alps.
The Soča is a river whose colour you don't believe until you're standing in front of it: a turquoise that comes from the limestone of the Julian Alps and runs south through gorges, pools and rapids. The valley is narrow, the mountains steep, and in the villages — Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin — they remember the First World War that raged here on the Isonzo front.
Today the valley is a destination for people who want to be outdoors: kayaking, hiking, fly-fishing, cycling. And for people who want to eat. In Kobarid, Ana Roš has turned Hiša Franko into one of the world's best restaurants, using produce from a valley nobody knew before.
Above Kobarid, at a thousand metres, lies Livek — a village on the Italian border with a view of the whole range.
The Soča valley is the Alps as they no longer are in Austria: empty, wild, affordable.
We recommend the Soča valley to couples who want mountains and food in one weekend and don't want to drive to South Tyrol for it. Nebesa in Livek: four chalets for two, on a terrace above the valley, with three saunas and a cellar you help yourself from. The family is related to Hiša Franko — you can tell at breakfast. Come in June when the Soča runs high, or in October when the beeches in the valley burn. Book Hiša Franko before the chalet.
