High in the mountains of northern Montenegro, in meadows below the peaks of Durmitor, stand some of the strangest gravestones in Europe. Grcko groblje, the Greek cemetery, is a field of stecci, huge carved limestone blocks that medieval communities across Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia raised over their dead between roughly the twelfth and sixteenth centuries. Some are shaped like coffins, some like gabled roofs, some are slabs. They carry carvings of crescents and suns, spirals, vines, hunting scenes, warriors on horseback and rows of people dancing hand in hand in the old kolo. This site is one of several in the region that were listed together by UNESCO in 2016.
The name Greek cemetery is a local folk label, a way of saying it belongs to people from before, whoever they were. Historians connect the stecci to the Vlach herding communities and the Bosnian Church, a medieval Christian tradition that outsiders found baffling. Whatever their makers believed, they left an extraordinary open-air gallery.
Setting is part of the pleasure. Durmitor is a national park and World Heritage site in its own right, a high limestone massif of sharp peaks, glacial lakes and canyons. The nearest settlement, Zabljak, sits at around 1,450 metres and calls itself the highest town in the Balkans, with enough fuel and food for the area and a lively climbing and skiing trade. The roads here are some of the best riding in the Balkans, among them the road over the Sedlo pass with its high-mountain views, the descent toward the Piva canyon and the bridge over the Tara gorge at Durdevica, built in 1940 and one of the great sights of the region.
Weather is changeable and cold at altitude. Snow lies late and can return early, so the riding season really runs from June to September; even then, take a warm layer. Roads can be rough at the edges, with sheep and cattle wandering onto the tarmac.
For food, ask for kacamak, a heavy cornmeal and cheese dish, and for the local smoked ham and cheese. A stop at one of the guesthouses in Zabljak is the best way to end the day.