In the medieval port of Koper (Capodistria) on the Adriatic coast. Koper was once the capital of Venetian Istria, but repeated plague epidemics in the sixteenth century saw its population and importance decline significantly. However, as only one per cent of Slovenia has a coastline, Koper is now vital to the economy of the country.

I also visited the fortified Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Hrastovlje with its wonderful fifteenth-century ‘Dance of Death’ frescoes, which illustrate the inevitability of death for rich and poor alike.