The Silk Road of Konavle

This trip starts with a transfer to the village of Čilipi, located in the central part of the Konavle area. We visit Konavle and the local history museum.

The Konavle Heritage Museum was founded in Čilipi in 1974 with the help of general camaraderie, good energy and a high-level of enthusiasm among the leading people in the tourist industry and education in Čilipi, and the understanding and well-willed people of Konavle. The house was set up and maintained thanks to the resources of the tourist, cultural and education association of that time, as well as the grant from the Cultural Fund of the then-commune of Dubrovnik. In the process of setting up a village savings association, numerous ethnological heritage pieces of the Konavle area were collected and exhibited – male and female folk costumes, woven fabrics and embroidery, used objects and furniture which represent the interior of a typical house in Konavle.

After a visit to the local museum, we leave Čilipi and head to the village of Gruda to further explore another important part of the Konavle area heritage – the manufacture of silk.

For centuries, Konavle has been renowned for the production of silk yarn, which was used for the decoration of male and, notably, female national costumes. The production process was carried out every spring by women who produced it in special rooms. Every woman in Konavle had to rear enough silkworms to produce her own yarn for her individual embroidery. They produced their own silk yarn from early spring to late fall, when there were enough leaves to feed the silkworms.

There is a possibility of having optional lunch in one of the local restaurants, where they serve traditional food and drinks.