CROATIA - Hvar Island

16:34 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

Blessed with a pleasant Medditerranean climate and more than 2,700 hours of sunshine a year, Hvar Island is arguably one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Hvar has a rich history; it was populated in prehistoriuc times. The oldest evidence of humans actually living here was found in a cave just 3km away to the east, dating back to the beginning of the Early Stone Age. It was later inhabited by the Illyrians, Greeks, and Romans.

After spending 2 nights in Split, it’s time to move on the next famous destination in Croatia, Hvar Island.

On my way to the harbour, I passed by several shops, including this Erotic Club.

You can opt to leave your luggage here and walk around before boarding the ferry.

I headed straight to the harbour to catch the first ferry to Hvar. And this was the ferry that I was going to take.

You can also opt for the faster high speed catamaran.

Lining up to get onto the ferry.

There were plenty of seats indoor...

…..and open-air seats on the top deck.

Goodbye, Split.

Reaching the main ferry port in Hvar, Stari Grad..

The name Stari Grad literally means “Old Town”. This old town, dating back from 384BC, is one of the most ancient villages in all Europe.

The first place that I visited on Hvar Island was the Domincan Monastery of St. Peter Martyr at Stari Grad.

This monastery was founded in 1482. The church and monastery were ransacked and burned by the Turks in 1571 and after that, the monastery was fortified with round towers.

The monastery’s museum preserved the oldest inscriptions in all of Croatia. Its exhibits, ranging fom prehistory to the 20th century, provide a true overview of the cultural history of Stari Grad and Hvar Island.

Hvar Island in older days.

Many paintings and artworks in the museum.

Two artworks are outstanding in the Dominican Museum. First is the painting of “The Mourning of Christ” by Tintoretto (1518 – 1594), previously on the altar of Petar Hektorovic’s private chapel.

The other special work is the wooden crucifix made in 1703 by the most famous Venetian sculptor of the time, Giacomo Piazzetta (1640 – 1705)

Exhibits from prehistoric sites, Mark’s Cave and the Grabac Cave.

After visiting the museum, I went to the Church of St. Peter.

The church was partially demolished and built anew in 1894. All that remained from the old church is the bell tower and the chapel with the tomb of the Renaissance poet Peter Hektorovic.

Among the artworks within the church is a large crucifix on the main altar, which dates to 1786. The crucifix is the finest example of a Renaissance style crucifix from the second half of the 16th century.

The monastery is located at the back of the Old Town. I’m not sure if I can find it without the help of my tour guide.

An antique car parked outside the monastery.

Secluded beaches that can only be reached by trekking all the way down from the hill.

Time to check in into our accomodation, Violeta.

The cosy bedroom with a balcony.

View from the balcony.

Hvar Town is at the foot of the hill, from where I stayed.

The luxurious swimming pool of Amfora Hotel.

Hvar is famous for sunbathing but like other beaches in Croatia, don’t expect sandy beaches.

Sun-bathing topless is a norm where Hvar is also popular for it’s naturist beaches.

The view of Hvar Town. The fortress in Hvar town is perched on a hill above the old town and was built at the beginning of the 16th century, in Venetian times.

Passed by the opening of fortress in Hvar town. From here, we began the round island tour of Hvar.

Pakleni islands, located just offshore.

The shephards and his sheeps.

Trim or Bunja, as these are called here, are dry stone structures built in fields to provide shelter for shepherds and farmers. They are used no more, but they make monuments to the hard work of human.

This chapel, the Belvedere of St. Roch, was built in 1937 by Ivan Budrovic, a returnee from America, in honour of his family.

A small town hidden within the hills.

We’re thinking to have lunch here but it’s too early.

The ambience of this restaurant was nice though. And I couldn’t resist to take some photos here even though I didn’t have lunch here.

We left with an empty stomach.

Fortunately the beautiful scenery along the road kept me occupied and made me momentarily forget about my empty stomach.

Hmm, can you guess what is this rock structure used for?

It’s actually a limekiln. When burnt, the piled stone burns and turns into lime. Producing lime was an important trade in Hvar. This limekiln is called Limekiln at the Crossroad (1914). It was special because just when it was built and ready to be put on fire, the World War One begun and army mobilisation was ordered. Thus this rare monument has remained untouched.

Hvar is world famous for lavendar. Unfortunately, we just missed the lavendar harvast season, most of lavendar was harvested a week before we arrived!

My son plucked a lavendar stem and was curious to its scent.

Next, I headed for some wine tasting. Wine is another famous product in Hvar. One simply can’t leave Hvar without sampling the fabulous Hvar wine!

Vina Tomic or Tomic Winery at Jelsa town.

I guess this is the root of a wine tree.

Room where they kept the wine barrels.

A group having wine and food.

I sampled some red and white wine. I am not much of a drinker, my hubby drank most of it.

The price list of the wine available at Bastijana.

And of course, I didn’t leave empty-handed this time.

Vineyards.

And I was back to Hvar town.

Hvar town itself is rich in heritage and famous for its nightlife.

The St Stephen’s Square is lined with shops and cafes, with one end opening onto a small harbour and the other occupied by the manificent sixteenth century cathedral.