Velika and Mala Petka Forest Park

This guide to Velika and Mala Petka Forest Park in Dubrovnik follows the twin pine-covered hills above Lapad Bay that locals have climbed instead of a gym for generations, with Velika Petka rising one hundred ninety-seven meters and Mala Petka beside it at one hundred forty-six. It traces the hill's name back to a 1396 document calling it Mons Acutus, through a vanished church to Saint Petka built where a temple to Venus was once said to stand. Squirrels and joggers share these same switchback paths every morning and evening, free of any entry fee.