I would hedge a bet that Slovenia is the least known country in Europe. Having spent a history being integrated to a greater or lesser extent into other larger countries or empires, Slovenia has been beaten to a lower level of European power repeatedly. But their more recent and most famed tie-up with the other Slavic peoples of Yugoslavia ended in such an amazingly crafty way, that it is clear that the Slovenes recognize themselves as a nation.

To cut a long story short, in 1991 after a referendum on independence, the Slovenes set up an alternative military command without the knowledge of Slobodan Milosevic‘s federal government. Then the new nation declared independence a day before even the Yugoslav army expected and so confusing quite an awesome military machine. The ten day war that ensued was consequently a unanimous victory for the much less well equipped Slovenes.

And the country that they have created is one to be proud of.. No, the mountains don’t reach the dizzy heights of the Swiss Alps and the cities are not as populous ornate as Prague but the mountainous landscape is plush with forests, the towns are pretty and the economy is healthy.

Clearly, Slovenia does not feature on many people’s top-ten places that they must see before they die, but I am sure that any visitor will be happy discovering this country as if they were walking into the unknown, until they discover this is somewhere that they can feel at home. You cannot go far wrong.