In the hills of southwestern Serbia, near the town of Novi Pazar, lie the ruins of Ras, the first capital of the medieval Serbian state, and the monastery of Sopoćani, which holds some of the finest Byzantine painting in Europe. Stefan Nemanja, founder of the dynasty that ruled for two centuries, was born in this region, and the monuments here were the heart of his realm. Ras was a fortress on a hill above the river, and a short distance away the little church of St Peter, one of the oldest in Serbia, stands on a mound of an earlier cemetery with a round, early plan that suggests Byzantine and local roots.
Sopoćani was founded by King Uroš I in the thirteenth century, and its frescoes, from around 1270, are a high point of Byzantine art. They include a monumental scene of the Dormition of the Virgin, with figures of such solemnity and soft colour that people compare them to the Italian painters who came later. The walls were painted in a blue that you rarely see in older churches. The monastery is quiet, set in a valley with a stream and meadows, and the nuns who live there welcome visitors with a polite reserve. Dress modestly, and expect to be asked to put away cameras inside.
Riding in this part of Serbia is lovely and a bit unruly. The road toward Novi Pazar from Kraljevo or Raška goes through gorges and along rivers with a series of bends, and there are broad uplands of meadows and beech woods. Roads are paved, though often patched, and trucks, tractors and the occasional horse cart share them. Summers are warm and winters can bring heavy snow on the plateaus, so spring and autumn are comfortable choices. The region has a strong Muslim culture alongside the Orthodox heritage, and its mosques and cafés give Novi Pazar its character.
Novi Pazar, about eight kilometres away, is a bustling city of some eighty-six thousand with fuel stations, plenty of cafés, bakeries and grilled meat restaurants where cevapi are served with soft flatbread. A coffee, thick and sweet, in the old bazaar is a nice pause. Carry passport and green card insurance for the nearby borders with Montenegro and Kosovo, and check access conditions if you plan to cross. The churches are open during the day but may close at midday for a rest.