The ancient city of Stobi, Macedonia

The road from Lake Ohrid to our next destination took us over the enormous peaks of the Galičica National Park and through the famous Tikves wine region. Surprisingly, we were not in search of some good wine, but were looking for the ruins of the ancient city of Stobi.

Compared to Butrint in Albania, Stobi is much lower profile and works on a small budget (no UNESCO World Heritage Site status). However, the city of Stobi is much larger and historically probably more important. For more information on Stobi, see STOBI

As it was getting late, we didn't have time to find a hotel, unpack the bike and head back to Stobi so we headed there in the hope we could leave the packed up bike outside. Luckily the site was very quiet and the security guard would watch it for us. We were offered a free guide which was magnificent. Our local guide was very enthusiastic, shared a wealth of interesting information with us, made us laugh with some insider and local jokes, and ignited our imagination as he took us through the site.

From the more usual amphitheatre, Roman houses and churches, Stobi offered more unusual places such as a gambling house, library and different types of baths. We were also shown the beautiful mosaics and frescoes that have been found in different buildings and explained the meaning of the pictures.

Most of this wonderful city is still to be excavated so it is still very much a work in progress. We'd love to see what else they've uncovered in 10 years time as the site is very large but they need to dig up to 5 metres to get to the ruins. It's a time-consuming and costly process, but the rewards are magnificent. Stobi is a true gem in Macedonia...