The island of Hvar
The island of Hvar is the queen of the Croatian Dalmatian
islands. It has been
famous since the antique because of its important strategic and
nautical position, the rich of the various historical periods, the
culture and natural monuments and the literature.
Thanks to the mild
climate, the warm winters and pleasant summers Hvar receives many
guests, scientists and travellers, who are attracted by the dense mediterranean
nature, rich tradition and arhitecture, and nightlife.
There are wine and olives, so a guest wishing to get closer to nature will stop at a small inn (Hvar "konoba") rather than a top quality restaurant. He will taste real home-made wine instead of some famous sparkling wine, he will sing the old island songs and forget the monotony of the everyday routine. Every guest is really a Guest here.
Hvar town
Stari Grad
Stari Grad (Pharos) is the oldest town in Croatia. The
same year - 384 b.c. when greek philoshoper Aristotel was born in
Trakia, the greeks from the island of Paros in Agean sea have settled
the town on the island of Hvar, and named it Pharos.
Stari
Grad (eng. "old town") is historical heart of the island of Hvar. The
town is situated in a landscape where the blue of the deep bay touches
the green of the wide an famous field of Pharos, with vineyards and
olive-groves. The fields used to provide sustenance and the bay provided
protection.
Today, both the fields and the bay add an attractive
quality to the island, in which the modern vacation sights have become
intertwined with the antiquities of the town and of the island.
Jelsa
The town Jelsa is located in the middle of the island of Hvar
and is mild, clean and open hearted to the guests and travelers.
Jelsa
is surrounded by the two highest mountains on the island - in the west St.
Nikola, and in the east Hum. From the south side Jelsa is
surrounded by mountains Vrh, Samotorac and Gozd from
the north side it is protected from cold north winds by the hill Biokovo.
The
start of tourism on the island going back deep into the past, to
ancient times and the Middle Age. There are finds of the villae
rusticae throughout the field of Hvar, and also economic buildings
and summer cottages. Many adventurers, ethnologists and
archaeologists visited the island and researched the herbs,
minerals and the antique monuments in the Middle Age.
Vrboska
Vrboska, the smallest town on the sunny island Hvar, is
special because of its geographical location hidden in the depth of the
bay, the untouched pine forrrest, the cultural sights with the marks of
the Gothic, renaissance and baroque style, and an architecture
interwoven with narrow winding roads. Vrboska has a very beautiful
little island in the middle of the bay connected with bridges, and
therefore it is named Little Venice. The village has been settled
since the ancient time and it developed into a fisherman's village and
later into a wonderful little town. It owes its charm to the typical
Mediterranean popular architecture, the proud old town houses with
characteristics of Gothic, renaissance and baroque style, the sacral
spirit of the ancient church buildings, but also to the luxurious modern
villas.
The most outstanding object of the architectural heritage on the island is the church (fortress) of St. Mary of Grace from the 16th century, built from the local people for the defense against the Turks. It is the most beautiful fortress in Croatia, but also one of the most attractive churches in Europe of that time. In the western direction from the church- fortress is the parish- church of St. Lovrinac from the 15th and adapted in the 17th century in the baroque style.
Gastronomy
The wine on Hvar is something worth talking about. One of the most
famous wines is Bogdanusa, a delicious white wine that compliments all
seafood dishes. There are many others such as Ivan Dolac, Zlatan plavac
and Dobrogost. Hvar cuisine is like Dalmatian cuisine in general, light,
prepared with very little oil, seasoned with plenty of marjoram and
basil.
Gregada is a well known seafood dish in which several different types of fish are prepared with potatoes. Dessert choices include gingerbread cookies and “Cvit”, a dry cake made with aniseed.
Fun and night life on Hvar
Everyone knows about the wild parties on the island of Hvar however it
is difficult to put into words just how much fun these parties are. The
fun here never stops since it starts on the beach and continues with
after-beach parties which are organized by the local cafes, and after
taking a break for a light dinner the party continues until the morning
and culminates at an outdoor disco club. All this takes place in the
town of Hvar leaving the other places on the island free for those in
search of a more peaceful holiday.
While you are in the city of Hvar don’t be surprised if you run into someone famous because more and more jetsetters are choosing the island of Hvar as their holiday destination.