We had heard about the archaeological ruins near Štip but had never managed to visit them. On an exceptionally hot afternoon, we decided it would be fun to finally take a trip out there.

The heat has been intense this year, with only a few scattered showers and just one thunderstorm so far—quite different from the past few years when we’ve experienced some amazing storms. On those occasions, the rain would pour down the roads, and once, we even got our basement thoroughly cleaned when we forgot to close the windows!

As we drove out of Kočani towards Štip, we passed a scorched landscape with surprising clusters of green dotting the mountains. The deep green of the rice fields stood in stark contrast to the surrounding barrenness. We also saw areas damaged by forest fires and crops barely hanging on, desperately waiting for some cool relief.

We turned off the main road to Štip and headed past small villages toward the Bargala Ruins. The route was relatively well signposted, and we arrived at what appeared to be the parking area, marked by a large board announcing the ruins.

There was little information about the ruins and it seemed that they were fenced off and there was no way to get in and explore. However my husband noticed a sign which apparently said “access via the lower gate” so we duly walked round the fence to find the entrance.

We found a small opening in the fence and walked through this, past a house and a small church and up the hill towards the ruins.

It’s a short climb, and although I’d recommend wearing closed shoes due to the possibility of encountering snakes, the walk was easy.

As we continued to explore the ruins I was pleasantly surprised—they exceeded my expectations. The site was well signposted, with explanations in both Macedonian and English. You could explore freely, and I suppose the lack of tourists has its benefits—the remains of this Roman village are relatively well-preserved because there aren’t busloads of visitors trampling the old steps and walls.

Exploring the site was a lot of fun, and it’s one of those places where you could discover something new each time you visit. The pots are said to be from the 6th century and were found alongside Gold coins from around that time.

I especially loved the area with all the pots and the section called “The Small Bath.” The explanation of how the bath was used, along with the intact furnace area, was fascinating.

After spending a considerable amount of time in the scorching sun we decided to explore the area further, from the coolness of the airconditioned car!

The Plačkovica mountain range, with its highest peak at 1,754 meters, stretches from Radoviš to Vinica and is visible from our home in Kočani. We drove from Bargala, navigating through a dried-up stream, and ascended into the mountains. Along the way, the arid landscape surrounded us, a stark reminder of the intense heat and lack of water. The only crops that seemed to be thriving were tobacco plants. In various spots, we saw tobacco drying on racks, presumably waiting to be transported to a factory to be processed into usable tobacco.

We continued up the winding road into the mountains, spotting a few tiny settlements in the distance and thinking, “Now this is truly off-grid living!” As we admired the stunning views around us, we carefully navigated the mountain’s edge, which had no safety barriers. I may have suggested—just once or twice—that my husband move a bit further from the edge. No stress, though!

Eventually, we rolled into a small village called Odžalija, which, according to Wikipedia, has a population of just 72. We saw a few locals gathered around the village water well, along with a donkey, who all looked rather bemused by our unexpected arrival. Their curiosity only grew when we realized the road ended there, leaving us no choice but to make a U-turn and retrace our steps back down the mountain!

Impression of the village.

Unfortunately is seemed that it was rush hour and we got stuck in traffic, luckily we were in no hurry.