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Adnan and Fabio in April ’92 were almost 19: one became a veteran of the Sarajevo siege, the other did not.
In August 2025 I took an 8-day trip solo and using public transportation to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Also because of the travel I did 3 nights in Bosnia and 5 in Serbia, in hindsight I should have spent more time on the former which I enjoyed much more.
These were the main stages:
- Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
- Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Belgrade (Serbia)
- Subotica (Serbia)
- Novi Sad (Serbia)
This is the itinerary on my google maps; from Sarajevo and Belgrade I went by plane, for the rest I always used buses booked from home.
These are the articles with the almost live videos I made during my time in Bosnia.
Sarajevo, a beautiful discovery
Bosnia’s capital is small, gets around well on foot and is surrounded by mountains with dense forests; this was also the cause of suffering during the long siege, in which citizens were easy targets for Serb snipers. Walking through the center is a journey into the history and geography of Europe, which allows it to be one of the most distinctive cities on the old continent. In the oldest neighborhood
Certainly the old Ottoman quarter is the most beautiful and lively; all a marketplace full of clubs, restaurants and even schisa bars. Within walking distance are the Main Mosque; the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and the Mosque. For centuries believers of the various religions lived in harmony; that the war in the former Yugoslavia was about religions is a colossal lie, as it almost always was a political war with economic interests.
During this trip I read Masks for a Massacre by Paolo Rumiz . It is a book that, in addition to explaining the deceptions that were also perpetrated against us in the West, makes us reflect on how peace is not a given good and that with the power of propaganda of certain economic-political forces, we too could be back in danger.
Tour with Sarajevo siege veteran
Adnan, the Sarajevo siege veteran who served as my guide, explained that no one expected what would happen.
I always thought I was lucky to have been born in the longest period of history and in the longest piece of the world at peace in human history. Between Adnan and me, the Adriatic Sea divided us. At that time, life in Yugoslavia was not bad, the regime was less oppressive than others, and there was enough wealth. In Adnan’s thoughts were evenings with friends, discos, girls, rock music, sports, finishing high school and enrolling in psychology. Just everything the same as me.
One afternoon he was in his room, had the window open, spring was approaching. He knew they were at war from the gunfire he began to hear at that moment. The first victims were 2 girls who were demonstrating in a peace march, shot by snipers. The Serbs were only a few hundred meters away and stayed there for almost 4 years.
They were so surprised that initially the defense was left to improvised civilians armed with what was there. Adnan showed up at one of the municipal offices and they sent him away because he was too young. After 2 weeks, they called him back. He spent all the remaining time on the front lines. He took us to where he was positioned, near where the cable car is now that goes up from the city and from where people go hiking or skiing. Every two to three days he would go home, and after a short rest, when he returned to the front line, he would greet his mom as he did before the war.
Many of his comrades have died. But even while alive, the return to normal life, which is not easy. He was able to react after a while, but many veterans had serious psychological problems.
The short film in the museum
The whole population obviously had their lives turned upside down. I was very impressed by a short film, very realistic, that I saw in the siege museum.
A young boy urged by his mother unwillingly goes to get a can of water for his upcoming lunch. He has to reach one of the cisterns that are in the street, being careful to go behind walls and behind charred cars. He is a bit reckless and is even scolded for it by some soldiers who are in a trench and with whom he would joke.
At one point there is a big explosion, everyone in line at the tanker runs away. The little boy at that moment has grown up and doesn’t know it yet. He runs back home jumping over craters and remnants of blackened walls. He starts up the smoke-filled stairs, but is stopped by a neighbor. His apartment and his family-his parents and little brother-are gone.
Home set of trips Travel to the Balkans, between nature and even recent history
Previous stop Lost in closed shopping center in Rijeka
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Trips taken, travel stories divided by continent
Anecdotes, divided by type in travel narratives
Countries visited in my travel stories
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