Vegova Street is one of the quieter corners of Plecnik's Ljubljana, and the green promenade that runs beside it was one of the places where he turned a piece of ordinary city into something calm and ordered. The area lies in the district between the old town and the university, where the new National and University Library stands, and the planting, avenues of trees, paths and small spaces have been laid out with the same care he gave to the grand squares. It is a modest thing, but modest is what makes it special.
Plecnik spent years on the library, which opened in 1941, and its design is among his most inventive. The outside is a strict block of brick and stone with little decoration, and the interior carries a sense of drama, with a dark entrance hall and a grand stair of black marble, then a bright, high reading room with large windows. The building is meant to be a journey from ignorance to knowledge, and many visitors feel that. The library is open to the public, and a short visit is possible.
Ljubljana began as the Roman colony of Emona in the first century, and Plecnik also reworked a stretch of the Roman wall, south of here at Mirje, into a small garden with a gate and pillars. A walk between the two is a good way to see how he treated old stones. The area has a quiet charm that tourists often miss.
For motorcyclists, the central area is a pleasure to walk but not to ride, so find parking on the edge, perhaps near the main roads, and spend a morning on foot. The city has fuel stations at its edges, on the ring road and main routes. Afterwards the ride to Palmanova, in Italy, is easy and rewarding, heading southwest through the Vipava valley and over the border, past vineyards and stone villages. The weather in Ljubljana is mild, with warm summers and cold winters, and the best months are April to June and September to October.