PARADISE BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS AND THE SEA

Dubrovnik has seen more than its share of calamities, but it has never lost its appealing spirit

-  Chris Wright

STANDING ON MY HOTEL BALCONY on my first morning in Dubrovnik, I can see that the city hit the jackpot in terms of physical appeal. To my left is the green nub of Lokrum Island; to my right, a surging mountainside; and, straight ahead, the craggy coastline of the Adriatic Sea, culminating in the fortified walls of Old Town.

That physical appeal perhaps explains why, in spite of all manner of historical calamities-a 17th-century earthquake, Cold War Communist oppression, the Croatian War of Independence of the 1990s-the 40,000 people who live in this Croatian city burst with good humour, hope and resilience, a sense of belonging. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once described it as "paradise on Earth."

I descend the tree-shaded terraces and plop into the sea, enjoying the sense of seclusion before the scurry that lies ahead. Today, I'm exploring Old Town, a concentration of churches, palaces, fortifications and family homes hemmed in by the battlements and turrets of the City Walls. Even before I got here, I had a mental image of all this thanks to Game of Thrones (Dubrovnik was one of its major filming locations). But there's more to Old Town than what was presented in the TV blockbuster.

I enter the walled section via the medieval Ploče Gate, overseen by a statue of Sveti Vlaho, the city's patron saint, also known as St. Blaise. The real story of Dubrovnik (formerly Ragusa) begins in the seventh century, the plot line threading through years as an independent republic and thriving trading hub, occupations by foreign powers, plagues and palace intrigues. For all the seeming might of its fortifications, Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) has seen its share of devastation: A 1667 earthquake leveled the ancient city, and artillery fire rained down in the 1991-92 Siege of Dubrovnik.