Martvili

Martvili has a busy Friday market that’s worth a visit, with many producers from the area hawking their wares. It also contains a beautiful church and monastery situated on a high hill at the edge of town that you now reach by climbing a steep staircase. The carved stone Chkondidi church was built in the 10th century over the remains of an earlier 7th-century church. It contains frescoes from the 14th to the 17th centuries. It’s home to several monks and is surrounded by a small contemplative garden on what was already a sacred site in pre-Christian times. The attractive Givi Eliava Martvili Local Museum has recently been renovated and contains important archæological finds from the area and domestic objects of wood and basketry as well as fabulous artefacts from the noble Dadiani family, including clothing, saddles and personal belongings. Outdoors is a vineyard with a collection of rare Megrelian varieties.