Udovice – Viticulture, Village History and Roman Traces

Udovice combines viticulture, a stream landscape and traces of a long village history. The village lies along the Udovice Stream, predominantly in its upper course, on the so-called Danube Ridge at an elevation of 191 metres. Anyone planning a trip centred on culture, regional traditions and historical discoveries will find an independent local character here, with an unusually wide range of points of interest.

Viticulture shapes the character of the village

Orchards and vineyards cover 88 percent of Udovice’s total area of 1,119 hectares. The village has a long and rich tradition of fruit growing and viticulture. The grape varieties are also part of this character: “hamburg” and “muskant italija” grow in Beli breg and on the opposite Zlatno brdo. For your travel planning, this primarily means a clear thematic focus: Udovice is an interesting destination if you would like to combine landscapes and regional agriculture with village history.

Several customs also make viticulture tangible as part of the local culture. One local custom is to cut a branch from the most productive grapevine and use it to decorate the icons of the saints in the home. On the feast of Saint Tryphon, pruning the vines and drinking toasts are also part of the customs in the village’s wine-growing areas. On Trifuntag, people enter the vineyards before sunrise and pour wine over the cut grapevines and the frozen soil so that the year will be productive.

Archaeological and historical traces

The history of Udovice reaches far back. Chance finds from the Neolithic and Bronze Age have been recorded in Udovice. A bronze appliqué from the 1st or 2nd century was also found in the present-day village. It depicts a maenad with a wreath of flowers and leaves on her head.

There are also indications of an ancient village and human settlement dating back to Roman times in the surrounding area. Golden Hill (Aureus Mons) was a Roman settlement in the area around Smederevo, near the point where the Udovički Potok flows into the Danube. The inhabited district of Jugovo in Udovice is also known as Golden Hill (Mons aureus).

Traces of foundations are visible at the site associated with the former Kokora Monastery. Traces of a cemetery can also be seen beside the former monastery. According to local tradition, there was once a village called Podgorica in the area of Udovice.

Village Church, Spring and Local Traditions

The village church of Udovice was built in 1939–1940. Its patron saint is the Great Martyr Marina, whose feast is celebrated every year on 30 July. Together with the older settlement traces, the church reveals another historical layer of the village. Udovice is also home to a spring called Zmajevac.

Getting There and Choosing Your Accommodation

Udovice can be reached via the paved road to Belgrade. After approximately 4 kilometres, another paved road branches off via the settlement of Jablan and leads to the village. When choosing a holiday apartment or holiday house, you can use this information to align the location of the village with your preferred travel themes: Udovice is suitable as a destination for anyone who wants to make viticulture, customs, local history and archaeological traces the focus of their trip. The available directions will help you factor your journey into your planning at an early stage.

More destinations for your travel planning

If you would like to compare other places in addition to Udovice or plan your trip beyond a visit to the individual village, you can also include Velika Plana, Smederevo, Smederevska Palanka, Vodice, Markovac and Krnjevo in your research. This allows you to assess which place best matches your desired balance of culture, landscapes and regional discovery.

For the overview of the wider travel region: Podunavlje District.