While he was born in Kraljeva Sutjeska, which was the seat of Bosnian kings during the Middle Ages, Ivica refers to himself as “a 47-year-old Sarajevan” because he moved here when he was a child and grew up in the Pofalići neighborhood on what used to be Pofalićka Street (now Drinska).
Ivica’s favorite part of town lies between Ferhadija and Baščaršija, where he enjoys hearing the chatter of people on the streets.
He usually drinks coffee at Vatra or Fis, where he is still considered a regular guest, just like when he used to socialize with Sarajevo legends like basketball player, Mirza Delibašić and singer, Davorin Popović.
As for lunch and dinner with friends, Ivica frequents Kod Kibeta or Park prinčeva, and ćevabdžinicas Galatasaray and Brajlović in Ilidža are his top choices.
Ivica makes special mention of the beauty and greenery along Wilson’s Promenade and the pleasant walks one can take from Dariva to Kozja (Goat’s) Bridge.
He is always happy to visit Bjelašnica and Igman Mountains, as well as the mountain house for the Croatian Cultural Association, Napredak, on Trebević.
Besides the National Theater, which is where he performs, his favorite building is Vijećnica (City Hall).
He is proud of the many cultural festivals Sarajevo has to offer and he considers them almost like his “children”, since the Ministry of Culture and Sport plays a meaningful role in supporting such events. He takes in almost every cultural event on his own time and stresses the importance of the National Theater’s Opera and Ballet companies.
Ivica enjoys many vantage points around Sarajevo and his favorite view is from the garden at the restaurant, Kod Bibana, and he appreciates the lovely panoramas seen from Park prinčeva and Kod Kibeta. He says that visitors should not just come for one day, and he recommends taking a stroll from Wilson’s Promenade to Baščaršija and visiting the aforementioned sites for views of Sarajevo.
For Ivica, it is impossible not to love Sarajevo and we closed our conversation with a few lines from a song that he has recently recorded:
- It’s a quiet night in my town / the heart is where the home is /
Sarajevo is half asleep, its dreams are fragile / without it, it’s as if I don’t exist / I breathe it like the air.
