Croatia - Islands

HVAR

We sailed through the night to the island of Hvar and awakened to find ourselves moored at the largest, greenest and sunniest of the Croatian islands.  It is known for its fields of lavender and its red and white wines.

Most of the island is rocky hills where clearing a space to plant would be back-breaking hard work. We were amazed by the extensive network of stone walls that seem to cover the island.  Most of the walls were built centuries ago in the process of clearing the land, and extra-wide walls were built to separate property of different land owners.

Another interesting structure was an old lime kiln, the ancient way to make lime.  Lime burning used to be a significant part of Hvar's economy. Today it is a rare example of the traditional, Mediterranean style, construction.

Hvar Town is the main city on the island.  In the 15th Century, it was a major metropolis due to Venetian wealth and that fact that Hvar was an important trading center and link between Asia and Europe.  Today about 2000 people live in the old town.

St. Stephen's Square is the center of town and is one of the most beautiful and largest squares in Croatia.  The square measures 4500 square meters, and the town has developed around it.  St. Stephen's Cathedral sits at one end of the square, a small harbor is opposite, and the other borders are lined with historic buildings, restaurants, cafes, and galleries.  A 16th-century well sits in the center of the paved space. 

A woman selling handmade clothing kept a close eye on us as we wandered around the square.

The Cathedral of St. Stephen is a Renaissance-era building, with a distinctive three-humped gable (representing the Holy Trinity) and an open-work steeple.  The entrance doors are made of bronze. 

To the left of the Cathedral is the Arsenal building, a reminder of Hvar's historical nautical importance. During the town's seafaring heyday, ships were repaired and supplied in this huge building. 



Across the square and up the hill was the part of town where the well-to-do patricians lived, protected within the city wall.  Lining these narrow winding (and steep) streets there are all manner of Venetian palaces with their distinctive windows .  

An old woman in a balcony spotted us below and had lots to say - we understood not one word, but she was smiling and waving, so we hope she was happy to see us.  Our guide said she's a regular fixture here - 95 years old.

Speaking of guides, we had a local guide to take us around the island - and she was one of the most colorful characters we encountered on the whole trip.  Her village on the island has only five houses and no running water.

Farther up the hill are the Benedictine Convent and its lace museum.  There are 13 Benedictine sisters spending their lives here - they never go outside.  When they're not praying, the sisters make lace using fibers from the agave plant (a type of cactus).  The museum displays and sells samples of this work.

Still further up the hill is the Hvar Fortress, a huge fortification that was built over several generations, beginning in the 13th century.  Additions were made by the Spanish and the Austrians.  Today the castle is used as a catering facility.

Back at the square, we checked the open-air market to purchase some locally grown lavender.  Then we walked along the harbor and admired the boats and enjoyed a beautiful day for a stroll.

VRBOSKA

On the northern side of the island of Hvar, we visited Vrboska, a small village (500 inhabitants) situated in a deep and narrow bay.  Vrboska was founded in the 15th century as a fishing harbor.  It was settled along both sides of the bay, and there are numerous small bridges connecting the two banks, and the town is often referred to as 'Little Venice.'

The town developed into a prosperous fishing community - at the beginning of the 20th century,  Vrboska had a sardine factory, wooden boat-building industry, a hotel, fishing trade association, and regular boat connections with the mainland and other islands. 

Things today are much quieter - especially in the afternoon - note the road sign explaining that everyone takes a siesta between 2 and 5 PM.

Here there are many stone houses - plenty of rocks around here, so might as well do something with them. 

The town's most dominant building is the Fort Church, the Church of St. Mary of Mercy.  The original church was built in 1465 and was re-built in the shape of a fortress around 1575 following an attack by the Turks. 

One of the most interesting buildings in town is the local winery, where we were invited to a wine tasting.  This was no ordinary wine tasting - the hostess gave each table (8 people) three full bottles of wine to taste.  She also provided almonds and cheese marinated in olive oil.  If that wasn't enough, she then came out with brandy and an after-dinner liqueur for us to try - good grief - good thing it wasn't far back to our bus, which then carried us back to the ship, which soon set sail for Korcula.

KORCULA

As we approached the island of Korcula, all we could see was a big wall - what's left of the old defensive walls of Korcula Town.  Inside the wall, steep and narrow streets branch off from the major north-south thoroughfare in a pattern that resembles a fish skeleton. This street plan was designed to catch both the cool southerly breeze in summer and block the cold northern winds in the winter.

The original Old Town walls date from at least the 13th century, when Korcula held a strategic position as a southern outpost of the Venetian Republic.  The fortifications were extended and new towers built over several centuries to defend against various enemies of Venice - mostly Turks and pirates.About 300 people live in the old walled city, which has been on this spot for over 2000 years.  Another 3000 live outside the walls and on the hills surrounding the town.

We arrived in early evening and took a short walk around the town.  We stopped at a local shop specializing in local red coral and had a lesson in this traditional art/business. 

The next morning, we explored the town with a local guide.  Like many other Croatian coastal towns, Korcula was founded by the ancient Greeks.  It became part of the Roman Empire and was later part of the Venetian Republic.  Four centuries of Venetian rule left Korcula with a quirky Gothic-Renaissance mix of architecture.

Near the entrance to the Old Town is a fountain that was built 25 years ago to celebrate the availability of running water on the island.  Prior to that date, everyone collected rainwater in cisterns and struggled to make the limited supply last through the long, hot and dry summers. 

The Great Land Gate leads up to the main entrance to the Old Town.  Like all of the town's towers, it's adorned with the Venetian winged lion and the coats of arms of the doge of Venice (left) and the rector of Korcula (right). 

Just inside the gate is St. Michael's Church.  All over Croatia, there are many towns with a church dedicated to St. Michael just inside the town gates - he is believed to offer saintly protection from enemies.

On the left inside the gate is the 16th-century Town Hall and Rector's Palace.  The seal of Korcula is over the door. 

The main street of Korcula is the Street of the Korculan Statute of 1214.  The street's complicated name honors a 1214 statute - the oldest known written law in Central Europe - with regulations about everyday life and instructions on maintaining the city walls, protecting nature, keeping animals, building a house, etc. 

Up the street, is another square - this one is St. Mark's Square, home of St. Mark's Cathedral.  Korcula became a bishopric in the 14th century, only to have that honor removed 36 bishops later, under the Hapsburgs in the 19th century.  Today, the town still has a beautiful "cathedral," but no bishop.

The Abbey Treasury of St. Mark is next door to the cathedral, in the Abbey Palace.  It contains a collection of art, jewelry, furniture, and archives. 

The Town Treasury/Abbey Treasury is a collection of 15th- and 16th-century paintings, religious art, jewelry, and ancient documents from Korcula's past; it does not have great monetary value, but they do help put today's Korcula in historical perspective. 

Korculans take great pride in the "fact" that Marco Polo was born here in 1254.  The explorer remains the town's poster boy in spite of the "fact" that there is no evidence that Marco Polo ever set foot on Korcula.  The alleged birth house post-dates Marco Polo's death by a couple of centuries, but this doesn't seem to bother anybody.  The legend lives on.

We walked and walked and walked - it's a small town and it's possible to explore every nook and cranny in the old town. 

We did walk a bit outside the town walls.  There's a lot more sunshine and color here - seems a good place for a vacation someday ...

One of the nice parts of travelling in a small ship is that we can dock very close to these old towns - here is the view of our balcony and from our balcony on the ship.  This makes is easy to spend lots of time ashore before the gangplank comes up and we head to our next stop.