Fodor's Expert Review Štrigova

Disregard the somewhat "lost in translation" sign outside this town's main church, one of Međimurje's most important ecclesiastical landmarks: "Saint Jerome's Church is a zero category monument of culture." In this case the "zero" means "top," for the church (plus a well-developed local wine industry) is what guarantees the otherwise sleepy, out-of-the-way village of Štrigova a place on the tourism map. In a bucolic hilly setting near the Slovenian border, 15 km (9½ miles) northwest of Čakovec, Štrigova is indeed best known for Crkva Sv. Jeronima and as the largest producer of Međimurje wines. Whether you arrive by bus (45-minute runs from Čakovec daily) or car, the first thing you are likely to notice is the striking yellow-and-white double steeple of the church, which is perched sublimely on a hillside just above the village center.

Completed in 1749 on the site of a 15th-century chapel that was destroyed in the region's 1738 earthquake, the church is dedicated to the village's most famous son: St. Jerome (340–420), known for translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Note the painting of a bearded St. Jerome on the facade, framed by two little windows made to look like red hearts. The church is most famous, actually, for its lovely wall and ceiling frescoes by the famous Baroque artist, Ivan Ranger the Baptist (1700–1753). The main steeple was completed only in 1761, and the church also has two smaller steeples. The church is usually closed, but you can call the local parish to arrange a look inside. While you can get to Štrigova easily enough by one of several daily buses from Čakovec, it's good to have a car if you want to drop by the smaller village of Železna Gora, some 5 km (3 miles) south of Štrigova, along a country road to Čakovec.