You might think that Humac is a deserted village, but appearances are misleading. This is a seasonal village, where people from Vrisnik could be close to additional fields and grazing. Most of the houses now look fairly run-down, if not actually derelict, but here and there you can see signs of recent activity. And, of course, Konoba Humac is one of the truly great places to eat on the island!
Traditional stone roofs falling in, and a more recent red tile renovation job beyond
So where is Humac? The name suggests that it’s on a mountain, and that’s exactly where you’ll find it. The road east out of Jelsa winds you up and up in sweeping curves around pretty little bays, getting ever higher until you reach the top of the island. Just as you reach the high plateau and stop climbing, the turn to Humac is on your right.
Remains of a press inside the Humac museum
It’s a lovely place to come at the end of an afternoon. The soft lighting towards sunset seems right for the crumbling buildings and grassy pathways. You can see the traditional style of the houses, with the storage/work area on the ground level, and the outside steps leading to the living area above. Collecting rain water was and is vitally important up here, and you can see the stone gutters taking the water from the roofs into the cisterns.
Traditional Dalmation-style farmhouse
Following the path up the hill, the church has recently been renovated, and you can go in and take a look. The patron saints of the village are St John and St Paul, who are present as rather delicately painted statues over the altar. Continuing on past the church, you get to the Panoramski Teleskop – with glorious views to both north and south of the island.
View from the Panoramski Teleskop towards Brač
At this point, you’re standing on the 50 mile long east-west mountain ridge that makes up Hvar’s spine. From here, you can walk and/or bike along the ridge trail in either direction, visit prehistoric caves and Illyrian settlements, but that’s for another time. Right now, we’re due back at Konoba Humac for drinks and dinner!
Back at Konoba Humac
The sunset views from here are spectacular. The outdoor tables at Konoba Humac are a great place to enjoy a glass or two of wine as the sun sinks in the west. The colours are lovely, and the atmosphere is so clear. Later in the season I’m sure we’d also have eaten dinner outside, but as we were there in mid-May, it was a touch chilly for that! Once the sun had gone down, we moved ourselves inside to a cozy table by the fireside, and ate by firelight and oil-lamps (no electricity here). It felt like a comfortable old village pub, with its stone floors and rustic wooden furniture. Quite magical, really!
Konoba Humac – outdoor table with a great view!
The food at Konoba Humac is excellent! We enjoyed a selection of meat cooked under the peka, and grilled fish with vegetables. It all tasted wonderful, as well it might – the owners believe in quality ingredients, and use only organically grown food. I did try to photograph our wonderful spread, but given the lamplight and six people moving about, it didn’t work out too well. In that case I need to go back again, don’t I? What a shame!
Sunset colours
Our lovely hosts Keti and Jakov Franičević were just great – so friendly and attentive. Thanks so much to them for a wonderful evening to remember!
If you want have food cooked under the peka, you will need to pre-order.
Konoba Humac website: sorry, not that I can find!
Phone:091/ 523-9463, 021/ 768-108
Go Hvar 
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