Budva, rebuilt

We strolled around old Budva and found it to be one of the most delightful little towns we have seen. Budva, under the jurisdiction of Venice in 1455, has been destroyed and rebuilt several times in the past centuries. Its present appearance developed after the earthquake of 1667, and most recently the quake in 1979. There's a museum, three churches and a fortress around a town square, all faithful copies of the originals.

Just a few miles south, what’s left of the town of Stari Bar (old Bar) is located on the side of the mountain. The earthquake of 1979 almost completely destroyed the ancient village, and only about 10% had been rebuilt when we visited in 1989. These old stone buildings were built without steel reinforcing bars and mortar, so the old buildings just fell on the people who ran outside into the walkways and into the narrow streets when the quake began.