To explore the Roquefort Société Caves, you must venture a bit off the beaten path, approximately 1 1/2 hours northwest of Montpellier. The prime period to witness the cheeses ripening in the caves spans from January through July. However, access to the caves remains available throughout the entire year.

The church was built 1725 by Ivan Skok, a famous master of the Dalmatian Baroque. The chapel has a big altar, harmonious facade with a Baroque portal and a magnificent rosette. The side walls have oval Baroque windows. A famous painter of decorative frescos Eugenio Moretti Varese is the author of the altarpieces. The church was consecrated in 1760.

The tower is a unique example of a fortified tower that dates back to 1533 when Hyeronimus Saracenis concluded an agreement with Ivan, a stone-mason from Hvar, to begin construction. The initials H S, which stand for Hieronymus Saracenis, are inscribed on the coat of arms that is displayed on the eastern wall. The tower frequently changed ownership and at one time in the 17th century it was in the possession of the Fondra noble family from Šibenik that used the tower as their place of residence.

You’ll feel like you’ve crossed the border, but you’re not quite there yet. Of course, you’re aware that Maastricht’s central location in the Euregio means you can be in Belgium very quickly. But you don’t really feel it until you see how the city, and the countryside around it, is layered with a unique mix of foreign influences. With the Sint Pietersberg hill, the historic caves, the vineyards, Fort Sint Pieter, and Château Neercanne as backdrop, this part of the city has everything you need to capture that holiday feeling. Sint Pieter was its own municipality until 1920. This part of the city was always outside the city walls (and so had it the toughest in times of war). Then, it was mainly farmers who lived here; now, it’s mostly families, epicureans, and a few descendants of the inhabitants of that old Sint Pieter. Today, Sint Pieter is Maastricht’s most popular residential district, not just for its beautiful houses but because of its ideal location between city and green. And it still feels like its own town, with its own social life, and charm, even though it’s just a stone’s throw away from the city park. In fact, it has the best of both worlds: village and city. Nature and culture.