Slow travel, Slovenia Style

She stands against a dark background, her inclined head wrapped in a fur-lined, warm bonnet. In her left hand is a flowered saucer; her right hand lifts a coffee cup towards her mouth. And on her kindly face, beneath twinkling, vivacious eyes, a smile.

“Kofetarica”, or “Woman Drinking Coffee”, by Ivana Kobilca, is among the most famous paintings in Slovenia’s National Gallery, in central Ljubljana. If she embodies anything about the national character, it’s that Slovenia, long renowned as an area for adventure, also has a laid-back side.

Outside the gallery, a short walk leads to the old town, where today’s coffee-drinkers gather at the al fresco cafes lining the Ljubljanica River. If the capital, with its wealth of Secessionist and Baroque facades, is a microcosm of Slovenia’s ability to pack a big punch for its small size, it also embodies the country’s unhurried pace of life. In order to really understand the source of “Kofetarica”’s contented air, however, visitors need to get out of the city and into a country that elicits smiles at every turn.

Located between former empires, Slovenia is in many ways a meeting-place of cultural influences. Its role as an entrepot of the Venetian empire is reflected in the red-tiled roofs of Piran, on Slovenia’s sliver of Adriatic coast, among the best-preserved Italianate ports in Europe. Centuries of Habsburg rule leave their stamp on fortresses set on rocky promontories, or even, as in the case of Predjama Castle, housed within a giant cavern.

But for visitors keen to take the country slow, this cultural fusion is perhaps most obvious in the diversity of regional gastronomy. While Ljubljana restaurants like Restavracija Strelec are among Slovenia’s finest, many others are located in rural areas, or in medieval towns like Radovljica and Ptuj, in settings as characterful as the flavours on the plate: honey from Carniola, gibanica (a Haloze layer cake), piquant Tolminc cheese.

To eat in Slovenia is to embrace the national philosophy that the quality of a cuisine needn’t dilute the love with which it’s made. Even Ana Roš, chef patron of Hiša Franko, the country’s most laurelled restaurant, prides herself on emulating the homespun warmth of the gostilnas, simple inns found across the country. The two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Kobarid is also her family home.

For Luka Košir, head chef at Grič, a commitment to Slovenian flavours makes for a diverse menu rooted in the locality. “We source all of our ingredients from our own garden, or from farmers located within 15 minutes of the restaurant's door,” says Košir, who constantly revamps his dishes as new herbs and vegetables come into season. “It makes our food unique to this part of the world.”

Then there are the grapes. Long overshadowed by the more well known vintners of neighbouring Italy, Slovenia’s wine-makers are among the best in Europe. Dozens of vineyards offer tasting tours, allowing visitors to sample the celebrated merlots of the Vipava Valley and the aromatic dry whites of Prekmurje. The wines’ sophisticated tastes as well as a commitment to traditional wine-making methods point to an antique heritage. The Old Vine of Maribor, which has been yielding an annual crop of žametovka  grapes for over 400 years, is thought to be the oldest in the world.

The rolling landscape that produces this rich harvest is largely shaped by the relationship between rock and water. In the west, this culminates in the astonishing karstlands. In the east, this same interplay yields a subtler alchemy. Slovenia’s thermal springs and rejuvenating waters have been attracting visitors for 800 years, and today’s spas offer a full spectrum of wellness experiences, from new-wave treatments and indulgent glamping at Terme Olimia to the timeless elegance of Rogaška Slatina’s neoclassical pavilions, known for their magnesium-heavy water.

There’s more to relaxation in Slovenia than sitting on a pletna — a flat-bottomed wooden boat — on Lake Bled, the country’s tourism icon. Out on the water, drifting towards the tiny island of Blejski Otok, framed by alpine hillsides, smiles are guaranteed. You may even wish to slow down your departure.