Vipava Valley

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The village of Branik in the Vipava Valley.

Vipava Valley (Slovene: Vipavska dolina, German: Wippachtal, Italian: Valle del Vipacco) is a valley located in the Slovenian Littoral, between the towns of Nova Gorica and Vipava. It is a narrow valley, serving as the main passage between Friulian lowland and central Slovenia, and thus also an important corridor connecting Northern Italy to Central Europe. It is closed to the south by the Kras Plateau and to the nord of the high Trnovo Forest. It is named by the omonimous river. Its main urban center is Ajdovščina. Administratively, it is subdivided into the municipalities of Ajdovščina, Vipava, Nova Gorica, Renče-Vogrsko, and Miren-Kostanjevica. Part of the municipality of Savogna d'Isonzo in the Province of Gorizia (Italy) is also included in the region.

The region has a relatively mild climate, suitable for the cultivation of different kinds of fruits (especially peaches, apricots, persimmons and figs). The Vipava Valley is also renowned for its quality wines, especially white ones. Among white grapes, the most common varieties in the region are Chardonnay, Sauvignon and the autochthonous types Zelen, Pinela and Vitovska Garganja, while red varieties include Merlot, Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Valley is also famous for the sometimes extremely strong Bora (Burja) wind, which is particularly strong in the area extending between the towns of Vipava and Ajdovščina.

Historically, the upper eastern part of the valley, including the town of Vipava and half of the town of Ajdovščina, used to belong to the Duchy of Carniola (more precisely, to Inner Carniola), while the lower western part was incorporated in the County of Gorizia and Gradisca and thus to the Austrian Littoral. Today, the inhabitants mostly feel as being part of the Goriška region of the Slovenian Littoral, while the Carniolan identity has almost completely disappeared.

Famous people who were born or lived in the region include the painters Zoran Mušič and Veno Pilon, poets Stanko Vuk, Simon Gregorčič, Josip Murn and Nevin Birsa, diplomat and writer Sigismund von Herberstein, historian Martin Baučer, the preachers Sebastijan Krelj and Janez Svetokriški, the author of the music for the Slovenian National anthem Stanko Premrl, the partisan hero Janko Premrl Vojko, author Danilo Lokar, literary historian Avgust Žigon and designer Oskar Kogoj.

Vipava Valley seen from Mount Nanos	The village of Goče with Mount Nanos in the background	The church of Marija Snežna ("The Virgin of the Snows") in Goče	The sources of the Vipava River
The village of Štomaž near Ajdovščina	The Vipava Valley near Ajdovščina	The church in Log near Ajdovščina	The Rihemberk Castle in Branik
The fortified village of Vipavski Križ	The village of Ozeljan near Nova Gorica