Apart from Cavtat, Čilipi is the largest settlement in Konavle and definitely the best place for introducing with traditions of Konavle. Central point of this settlement comprises the largest church in Konavle, St Nicholas parish church with a public square and public and family buildings, thus forming a unique urban microstructure. Stairs leading from the main church to the square became an ideal stand for the numerous visitors of folk events that take place every Sunday until Easter for more than four decades in Čilipi thereby preserving our folk and cultural heritage and offering tourists a unique way to meet still living traditions of our ancestors.
The town Čilipi bears the County Museum of Konavle that hosts a rich ethnographic collection from the entire area of Konavle, presented in the authentic ambience of traditional stone houses. In the close vicinity of Čilipi one can find an International airport Dubrovnik that over the last couple of decades significantly contributed to the development of tourism. Throughout history basic features of the local people from Konavle, their distinctive personality and self-awareness, loyalty to the country and homeland remained unaltered.
A step into the past civilization and cultures is marked in exceptionally rich material traces from the prehistoric times up to the present. If you wish to absorb an ancient history of Konavle, you will surely visit Illyrian piles in Mikulići, Mitrej in Močići, tombstones in Brotnice and Saint Barbara in Dubravka. The best way to meet the ambience of the area and heritage of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) is to visit watermills on the river Ljuta or a fortress Eagle Town (Sokol Grad), while cosmopolitan character and similarity to world’s trends of the second half of the 19th and the first half of the 20th century is best to explore through a visit to the Gallery of Vlaho Bukovac, the Račić Family Mausoleum or the Baltazar Bogišić Collection.
A special contribution to the local area and its people is rendered by unique folk costume of Konavle and typical embroidery. Surely, the best way to grasp the spirit of authentic Konavle traditions and customs is to visit Sunday folk events in Čilipi.
D. Šabić