Hvar – what can we say!? What can one say about the city and the island that are in our consciousness the best of our Adriatic, its natural beauty, rich history, tourism and best of all those pleasures we attribute to Mediterranean? You may not have known that it is our sunniest island and also the longest. As this is one of our best-known islands in this article we will first of all look at the curiosities, perhaps less known, but just as attractive as the most famous ones.
The town of Hvar in the season is one of the most desirable destinations in the entire Mediterranean, so if you want some peace, out of the hustle and bustle, we recommend a walk through the villages around the town of Hvar, quiet even in season.
Hvar villages
Village Brusje is located a few kilometres from the town of Hvar. In this village of shepherds, winemakers, olive growers and honey producers, you will find the original Hvar village atmosphere. When you come to village Velo Grablje, almost completely abandoned, about ten kilometres from Hvar towards the interior of the island, you will experience a slightly spooky but also magnificent ambience. Village is more than 500-year-old and an archaeological site, and is adorned by the medieval church of St. Vitus. Although there are almost no inhabitants, the village lives, the people that use to live here visit it, communicate, cultivate the fields and serve Holy Mass. Stone houses, dry stone walls, olive trees, the scent of lavender and rosemary … Unique panoramas can be seen from the village lookouts, and along the path that stretches through the natural canyon, you will reach the coast and another Hvar pearl, village Milna.
In Milna, the youngest settlement in Hvar, you can swim on two pebble beaches and walk through the pine forests of the coast decorated with branched agaves. The agaves of the island of Hvar are not just an ornament. The Benedictine monastery in the town of Hvar is known as the only place in the world where lace is made from this plant, which has been knitted since the 19th century. Agave lace is delicate, non-washable and stored under glass. In Hvar, be sure to visit the Hvar Theatre, opened in 1612, one of the oldest European theatres and the oldest public theatre.
The peculiarities of Hvar have been recognized by UNESCO, so it is our only island that has been inscribed twice on the World Heritage List.
Near town Stari Grad, according to some sources, the oldest town in Croatia, there is the Stari Grad Field, which UNESCO has included in its list of cultural heritage. The division of land plots created a fascinating cultural landscape that has remained almost completely unchanged since the time when it was first colonized by the Ionian Greeks from the Greek island of Paros in the 4th century BC. In addition to parcelization, Hellenistic agriculture has been maintained for thousands of years – the cultivation of vines and olives is, therefore, a tradition more than 2000 years old. Stari Grad, Aristotle’s peer, was founded in 384 BC. When visiting the city, be sure to visit Tvrdalj, the summer house of the Croatian Renaissance writer Petar Hektorović, the author of the first Croatian travelogue.
The sacral procession “Za križen” is also on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. One of the most interesting natural locations on the island is Grapčeva cave, the most important prehistoric site on the Adriatic. Ceramic remains of a 6000-year-old culture were found in it. In the cave, on fragments of a pot, the oldest depiction of a vessel in Europe was found. The cave can be visited, and if you decide to do so, you will enjoy the richness of the cave decorations. By no means leave Hvar without lavender or any of the products from this fragrant plant, which is one of the symbols of the island. All of the above, of course, is just a fraction of what you can see and experience on this paradise island. If you can afford it due to your work, we recommend that you visit Hvar, as well as the southern Adriatic in general, in September. It is less crowdy, less hot and prices are lower. The sea is still warm, warmed by the sun whose rays here seem to be denser, as if, by giving life to this planet, it shows where that gift was given and received in the most beautiful way.
