Smack bang in the middle of the mountainous Balkan Peninsula, encircled by Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, it’s no wonder the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has been a powder keg of Ottohodox influences. These days the opportunities for relaxation and exploration are unexpectedly varied: you ca sit in a lively café, experience the time-worn Turkish bazaars, gaze at any number of medieval monasteries, wander in space-age shopping centres and marvel at Lake Ohrid’s swag of cultural monuments

July and August-the best months to catch Macedonia’s festivals

Wandering through Skopje’s Oriental bazaar district Visiting the City Art Gallery housed in the Daud Pasa Baths in Skopje, once the largest Turkish baths in the Balkans Making a pilgrimage to the 17 th-century Church of Sveti Naum at Ohrid Scrambing through then Ruins Heraclea at Bitota Skiing the southern slopes of Sar Planina, west of Tetovo Hiking in the Pelister National Park

Read Black Lamb and Grey Falcon by Rebecca West, a between-the-wars Balkan travelogue

Listen to the Tavitjan Brothers Trio’s self-titled album, featuring some of the most famous jazz musicians in Macedonia

Watch Milcho Manchevski’s Before the Rain, a visually stunning vision of how inter-ethnic war in Macedonia might begin

Eat Turkish-style grilled mincemeat; burek-cheese or meat pies; Ohrid trout

Drink skopsko pivo-the local beer; rakija-the national firewater, a strong spirit distilled from grapes

Zdravo (hello)

Orthodox churches; splendid mosaics; Lake Ohrid; bazaar districts; smoky cafes and bars; Byzantine monasteries; ski resorts; Rman ruins

The gnarled, 900-year-old plane tree at Ohrid; the five-day Balkan festival of Folk Dances and Songs, held at Ohrid in early July

The most famous and popular Macedonian folk dance is called Teskoto (The Hard One). lt is a male dance for which music is provided by the tapan and the zurla (largepipes). lt starts very slowly and gets progressively faster. This dance symbolizes the national awakening of the Macedonian people and is performed with dancers dressed in traditional Macedonian costumes.