Šempas

Šempas combines cycling tours through wine country with historic architecture, a museum, and local festival culture. If you’re looking for a hotel in Šempas, you can plan your trip around your interests: cycling and wine experiences offer a different focus from church and local history. Vineyards and orchards line, among other routes, a cycling tour through the Lower Vipava Valley.

Cycling Tours, Wine, and Winter Hiking

The “Five Villages, Five Flavors” cycling experience takes you by bike through Šmihel, Ozeljan, Šempas, Vitovlje, and Osek. The experience includes tasting five different wines and selected regional specialties in a wine cellar. Check before your trip whether this tourist experience is available.

The cycling tour through the Lower Vipava Valley also passes through Šempas, by vineyards and orchards. Several winemakers and agritourism establishments in Ozeljan, Šempas, and Črniče along the route offer homemade snacks and Vipava wine. This offering may vary by season.

A traditional winter hiking day through Šempas and its surroundings offers a different way to explore the area on foot. It is scheduled for the first Sunday in December; the route passes through the village center and vineyards and is 10 to 12 kilometers long. Route details may vary from one edition to the next. Check the date of the next edition before your trip.

Museum and Architectural History

The Spominski muzej heroja Mihajla is housed in the old school in Šempas. On display are Mihajlo’s early artworks, photographs, and military equipment, as well as numerous items brought by people from Azerbaijan. The collection thus brings together different kinds of objects, from early artistic works to military equipment and the items brought with them.

The Church of St. Sylvester was built as a Baroque church in 1782, based on plans by architect D. Bona. Its bell tower has swallowtail-shaped battlements and is the only bell tower on this side of the Soča with this type of architecture. Šempas Tabor, also known as Stari grad, offers another glimpse into history: originally, it was an undefended tower courtyard. It was later enclosed by a wall with five defensive towers and a moat during the Turkish incursions.

The Kapelica na Gunu is associated with a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child dating from the second half of the 16th century. The connection to the chapel remains the reference point for the dating. Šempas’s architectural history thus encompasses several distinct themes: the Baroque church with its unusual bell tower, the historic fortification, and the older artwork.

Local Festival Culture and Nature

Traditional Mohorjevo festival fare and products include polenta with Pršut sauce, homemade hand-cut Pršut, Šempaské Štruklji, homemade pastries, beekeeping products, and lavender products. Craftsmanship is also represented in the Mohorjevo program: exhibitions and workshops showcase the making of tapestries, lacework, woodcuts, pictures, and other handicrafts.

The Franc Krašana Park is dedicated to his significant scientific work and his love of nature. This adds a distinct nature-focused aspect to the historical and cultural themes, without presupposing a particular itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Kojsko, Dobrovo, Prvačina, Pristava, Vitovlje, Šmartno, Lokve, Miren.

For the broader travel overview: Nova Gorica.