Dear Slovenia is a blog that I created this year, a couple of month ago. My name is Chiara Morini and I am a journalist. I realised that 2025 marks 30 years since my first visit to the country. It was 1995, I had just finished high school and, like every year, I went on holidays on mountains. The destination at the time was Kranjska Gora, or rather, the Gozd Martuljek, in Kranjska Gora. The first hotel I came as guest, the Špik, is located there. Then I came back to Kranjska Gora many times (cover photo was taken in my 1998 trip).

My 30 years’ story with Slovenia

I love foreign languages (I am Italian) and I was struck by Slovenian: the locals spoke it easily, yet it seemed so complicated when written. Lots of consonants and very few vowels.  Year after year, I always went there on holiday, leaving home stressed and tired and returning relaxed.

I even bought a Slovenian grammar book, which I still have.
I can’t say exactly (even today, after 30 years!!!) why I love this country so much, but for me Slovenia is synonymous with peace and tranquillity, I really like it.

Above all, I like experiencing it, discovering it in all its aspects, even everyday life. So, in 2015 I started following a rock band (I love their music regardless, they also sing in English, but I prefer to listen to them in Slovenian). They are called Siddharta, but that’s a different story.

That’s why I created this blog

Coming back to my passion for this country, one day, while waiting to find out if and when I could have leave for my 2025 summer holidays, destination Slovenia of course, it occurred to me to create this blog.
I called it Dear Slovenia, almost like a letter to the country, its inhabitants, and the places I have grown to love over the years. Virtual letters, of course, perhaps beginning with Dear Slovenia. Why English? I chose it to convey my vision of my beloved Slovenia also to those who do not know Italian. And maybe one day, why not, a Slovenian version.
This is why the blog was created.