New Delhi, June 21 -- The speedboat sluices through waters so blue they look almost unreal, as if the Adriatic has been turned up a shade too high. We leave behind Our Lady of the Rocks and St George's Island, and press towards Perast, a Lego-like ribbon of pale stone beginning to take shape against the limestone cliffs.

The boat driver laughs as I look back. "Everyone does that," he says. "They think the view is behind them. But it's never behind you in Montenegro."

The country's name has its own story. "Montenegro comes from Crna Gora, the Black Mountain. The Venetians translated it after seeing Mount Lovćen, all dark forests and shadow," he tells us.

The tiny country, with a population of less than 650,000, has a rich history. ...