A hilltop church beneath a glaciated peak
The drive north from Tbilisi on the Georgian Military Road passes Ananuri fortress and climbs over the Jvari Pass to Stepantsminda, still widely known as Kazbegi. Above the village, the 14th-century Gergeti Trinity Church stands alone on a ridge with the glaciated cone of Mount Kazbek, over 5,000 metres high, rising behind it. It is one of the defining images of Georgia. Hikes lead up to the Gergeti Glacier and into the Truso and Juta valleys, and guesthouses serve hearty mountain food.