During our travels from Venice via Cividale del Friuli to Bled in Slovenia we also passed Predjama Castle in Slovenia. It is built into a cave and the position makes it unique. It is situated 123 metres above the underlying valley. There is a network of tunnels and caves behind and underneath the castle, which provided food and escape routes in times of sieges of the castle.
The knight, Erasmus of Lueg or Erazem of Predjama was a robber baron who inhabited the castle in the 15thC. He got into conflict with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III because he killed the commander of the Imperial Army. Erasmus was himself killed after a siege lasting more than one year. He used the secret caves and tunnels to get fresh food and the castle was impossible to penetrate.
However, Erasmus was betrayed by one of his own men, who reported when Erasmus visited his lavatory, which was sticking out from the castle walls. A canon ball penetrated him sitting on his “throne”.
The current castle was mainly rebuilt in 1570 long after Erasmus was killed.
Not far from the castle Jennifer and I had lunch at what must be one of the best restaurants we ever visited, Zemono Manor House with the restaurant Gostilna pri Lojzetu. We have been to quite a few with both one, two and three stars in Guide Michelin, but the attention to detail, the service, the charm and the imagination at Gostilna pri Lojzetu exceeded most of what we have experienced.
The manor was built around 1683 to serve as a wine cellar and entertainment venue. The inside is decorated by evocative frescoes, but what you observe above all is the refined cuisine that is served.
The menu provided a few alternatives: 3, 4, 5 or 6 course menus. They didn’t say anything about what the menus included, just the number of courses. Jennifer and I opted for the 4 course menu, and I think we had at least seven courses before the lunch ended! With wine pairing of course. And to one of the dishes the whole plate was covered in white truffle, as we arrived in the right season for truffle. The chef and proprietor came and chatted with us while shaving truffle over our dishes until the aroma filled us with excitement.
The lunch was so solemn that I didn’t dare to disturb it with my camera, so restricted myself to photograph the outside and surroundings. Now I regret not having captured some of the incredible dishes that we were served.
