Võporzova and Tonja

Võporzova and Tonja, a few kilometres north of Värska on the west side of Värska Bay, are classic Setu villages. In Võporzova there's a monument to folk singer Anne Vabarna, who knew 100,000 verses by heart. Võporzova homesteads typically consist of a ring of outer buildings around an inner yard, while Tonja's houses face the lake from which its people get their livelihood.

Traditional Setu holidays are still celebrated. The biggest feast of the year, Lady Day, falls on 28 August (though it is celebrated only in Pechory), close to which the Day of the Setu Kingdom is held. The Day of Setu Lace is 1 March and midsummer celebrations are held on 6 July in accordance with the Julian calendar. Värska also celebrates St George's Day (Jüripäev) both in Ssring (6 May) and winter (9 December). Other exotic features of this area are the borders. There are only a few official border crossing points with Russia, the rest are abandoned control points, or seemingly unguarded wooden fences, creepy dead ends or lonely plastic signs. One road, from Värska to Saatse even crosses the zigzagging border line into Russian territory for 2km. You're not allowed to stop on this stretch.