Having renovated an old stone house ourselves, we’re always interested to see what other people make of theirs. Dalmatia has such a wealth of old stone buildings and it’s good when an old derelict comes to life again as a new home. One fine example is The Quaich, tucked away in deepest Vrbanj. Ten years…
Since I wrote my article on Red roofs as part of the landscape last month, I’ve been looking with different eyes at buildings – and paintings of them. So many artists over the years have taken architecture as their subject, including red roofs (Camille Pissarro) and even blue roofs (Paul Gaugin). So let’s have a…
At the heart of Vrboska is one of the more unusual churches that you’ll ever see – the church fortress of St Mary of Mercy has high walls, battlements and an impressive ravelin defending the front door. Originally financed by the local people, it was extended and fortified in 1575 to be a refuge in…
We were fair delighted this week to hear that Miki Bratanić’s konoba has received the status of a protected cultural heritage site. The building and its contents have been recognised as a fine example of the traditional Dalmatian konoba. It’s a great tribute to the care and preservation of the old building and equipment, much…
Driving into Split on the main road from Trogir, you pass by what appears to be a large municipal park with some ruins. This is what’s left of Salona, Dalmatia’s largest and most important city two thousand years ago. You’d hardly credit it, even walking around the park, as it’s all very low-key, most visitors seem to be locals walking their dogs. On the day we visited, there were few other tourists, and it’s possible to enjoy the place in peace, connecting with its ancient past.
The word for a door in Croatian is vrata, which comes from the old Slavic word vorta. It’s always plural, in the same way that trousers or pants are in English. And vrata means both the opening, and the object we use to close it up. Now that may be a wooden door, glass door or wrought-iron gate, inside or outside, in the house or garden or field – vrata covers all types.
One of the great benefits of catching the early morning ferry into Split, is the opportunity to wander around the backstreets when they’re not so busy. On this particular Sunday, we had a plane to catch, but that wasn’t until lunchtime. In the meantime, we could have breakfast on the Riva, and explore the old town.
One of the most impressive buildings on the Stari Grad waterfront has recently been renovated in fine style and will be opening for the season as the classy boutique Hotel Apolon. The restaurant opened a couple of weeks ago, and we went along to see how it all looks. This was originally the villa of…
Where I grew up, in Edinburgh, only the older stone houses had working shutters, and those were on the inside of the windows to keep out the cold in winter. In much of southern Europe, houses are shuttered in the summer to keep out the heat. I also really enjoy the ability to close out the world when it gets cold, dark and wet in winter, especially when there’s a bura blowing! It’s all terribly convenient, and so much cheaper than extra heating or air conditioning.
Following my last post, it was pointed out to me that a Croatian drystone field shelter (the Istrian version, called a kažun) was built last summer at the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire. Located beside the Peak Trail at Parsley Hay, the kažun fits nicely into the local environment, which is also a limestone…
Go Hvar 
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