Biljana i Dragan Mrkočević

homemade products tasting; activity holidays

Harmony in nature, hundred-year old olive trees, peace and quiet, as well as tranquillity among the people who live here make this hidden peninsula a gem of the Montenegrin coastline. The Mrkovčević family of seven lives in the village of Mrkovi, one of the twelve villages on Luštica. This family, which reflects simplicity and warmth, offers tourists an opportunity to experience life of a harmonious family. In the household, the parents live with their two daughters and three sons who are triplets, who themselves represent an attraction and lure sympathy of the visitors. Their curiosity while watching new guests and later friendliness and playfulness when they get to know you, wins every traveller who visits this home.

In the house of Biljana and Dragan Mrkovčević there is a tavern, a room in which they placed an old olive mill and traditional tools that were used in everyday life. Here you can also find a corner with Biljana's handmade jewellery, embroidery and souvenirs with motifs of Luštica.

You will have the opportunity to taste traditional Boka recipes that are characteristic for this region. As a welcome, you will be treated with sweet and savoury fritule, while the Luštica specialty fadžola (beans) with cabbage will be served as the main dish and for the sweet end you will be served cake with dry figs and walnuts.

The area of the Mrkovi Village is full of curiosities and legends that date back to the Middle Ages. The long family tradition of Mrkovčevići is related to this place, and their surname is mentioned for the first time back in 1600. Dragan is pleased to take every interested visitor on a tour of the most interesting buildings in the village, like the old lime kiln, St. Lazarus church (Sv. Lazara) and St. Petka church.

The road through Mrkovi Village leads us to St. Lazarus church (Sv. Lazara), which was completed in 1605. The church is unusual because of its bell tower that has a cross, a Maltese cross and crescent moon and star on it. There are two legends related to setting up of the crescent moon on top of the church.

The first legend says that this Islamic feature was placed on the bell tower for safety reasons. In the period of the Ottoman Empire, when robbery and raids were frequent, the residents of Mrkovi, in order to protect the village church, had to be resourceful, so they put the crescent moon on top of the church. Seeing this, the Turks would worship their religious marking and continue on, thus leaving the rural population alone.

Another legend, however, says that the villagers of Mrkovi faced a storm from which they found shelter in the church. Two men of Islamic religion, refusing to enter the church to seek shelter, were killed by lightning. In order to avoid such accidents in the future, the locals set up the Islamic feature, to let people know that the doors of the church are open for all.

The crescent moon stands at the top of the church of St. Lazarus even today, as a symbol and a constant reminder of tolerance, which lives in this region since ancient times.

In the village of Mrkovi, you can also find the church of St. Petka, which was painted in Greek style. It is believed that it was built in 1596. The interior walls and the iconostasis were painted with frescoes of Dimitrije Daskal in 1704. Very interesting is the painting with 17 scenes of life and miracles of St. Petka and it is considered to represent the most comprehensive hagiography cycle of this Saint in fresco painting in the Balkans.

Not far from the Mrkovčević family home, there is an old lime kiln that was used for the production of lime, which was one of old professions of people from Luštica. Small lime kilns were used for the needs of the villagers, while the larger ones were made by the shore, where trade took place. Lime was mostly used in construction works, but also for disinfection of water – a nugget of lime was often put into a rainwater tank. Nikola Bogdanović was considered the most famous lime producer and trader in 1300.