Novo Brdo municipality (Novobërde in Albanian) is home to Kosovo's first rural tourism project, offering rural charm, hiking, biking, lavish traditional meals, strawberry picking, guesthouses and cultural attractions in lovely hilly surroundings. Some 40km east of Pristina, Novo Brdo and the villages of Bostane and Vllasali have both Albanian and Serbian inhabitants working to offer quality services to daytrippers and expats want a quiet weekend away from Pristina without leaving the country.

Novo Brdo started life in early medieval times as a gold, silver, lead and zinc mining town, and the modern-day mine installations in the wider area still testify to the riches found underground. Churning out some 6 tonnes of silver annually in the 15th century, the village developed into a large settlement of perhaps 50,000 people, attracting immigrant miners from Saxony and traders from Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and Venice. A castle was built on the hilltop, with the town square on the plateau just below. The town went into decline after the 17th century Austro-Ottoman war, though mining continued on a small scale. The castle is now picturesquely ruined and little remains of the town, though recent archeological digs show that there are plenty of artifacts to be found, and it's not unusual to see UNMIK soldiers patrolling the area to protect the heritage.

Visitors can drive to the castle hill (easily spotted from the main road) to visit the ruins (which require some scrambling to reach) and the sights of the former town. The castle offers fine views from its crumbling walls and has some old cisterns to peek into. It features a large cross in the western wall, said to be the spot where a desperate father who was locked in the castle killed his son to spare him the same fate, before jumping to his own death. Much to the annoyance of the castle's conservators, some locals think it marks a buried treasure and dig holes below the walls.

On a lower hilltop there are the walls of a 13th century basilica cathedral, which in turn was built on top of a 4th century BC temple. Nearby, the 18th century mosque built under Sultan Suleimani I the Great has a cute stone minaret that can be climbed. Just across the road there's the 16th century Tyrbe në Kala ('fortress tomb'), containing a sufi's grave draped with a green cloth. Legend has it that walking around the tyrbe three times in anti-clockwise direction brings good luck, and lonely souls can turn one of the roof tiles upside down to request a fast-track marriage – annually on 6 and 8 May there's even a tile-turning festival for young unweds.

Daytrippers can enjoy a home-made organic farmers' meal with soup, laknor pie and salad at one of the farmhouses in the area, and can also stay the night at one of 5 simple rural guesthouses situated in Novo Brdo, Bostane and Vllasani, which all offer basic bedding, delicious meals and unmatched hospitality.

By visiting Novo Brdo, tourists help farmers find additional sources of income, empower local women with the catering services and offer the young an alternative to emigrating to the cities. After the first year of the project, some locals already earn more from tourism than from farming, and several villagers have returned from Pristina to work locally.

Practicalities
Novo Brdo is reached in 30-45 minutes by car. Buses from Pristina depart at 07:30, 13:00, 15:30 and return at 09:45, 14:00 and 16:30; the ride takes an hour and tickets cost €2,50. Lunch at a farm costs from €3,50-12 depending on your choice of food; the only restaurant is Vila Kalaja which serves lamb specialities. Mountain bikes (5 are available) can be rented for €10 per day; an English-speaking guide for the day can be booked ahead for €30.

Tourist Information Centre: tel. +377 44 46 54 71, rural.tourism.nb@gmail.com,www.tourism-novobrdo.com. Open 08:00-20:00 (09:00-17:00 between Christmas and mid-April).
Supported by CARE International and the Dutch Embassy, the local information centre along the main road into the village functions as a central booking office (at no extra cost) for meals, bikes, activities, guides and accommodation. The helpful manager, Fadil Llapashtica, speaks English and is best contacted at least a day in advance for information and bookings.