The ancient Greek colonists of Faros were not altogether firmly settled, despite their clear legacy of agriculture on the island. In fact the Stari Grad Plain was constantly under threat from the local Illyrian tribes who really didn’t want them there. High above the town of Jelsa, the Greeks built a big strong watchtower with…
It’s been an absolute joy to spend time with the coastal rocks of Hvar, looking closely into the crevasses and shadows. I notice that as I start each painting, they seem to me more like mountains and I have to carve them up into mere blocks. And what an endless variety of rocks there are!…
Vrboska’s Ribarski muzej (Fishing Museum, or Fisherman’s Museum) is a tribute to the fishermen of the past, a wonderful collection of artifacts that tells of a way of life that still echoes today.
Always on the lookout for some authentic island happening, we were delighted to read about a folklore evening this Saturday in Jelsa. Thank you to the excellent Total Hvar Blog. So on with the long trousers and insect repellent and off to Jelsa. The Pjaca square was already bustling, and we snagged the last two chairs…
It seems that some people can count, and it was noticed in my earlier post that I was only showing #2 and 3 in the rock series. Where was the first one? Well, yes, #1 was a bit of a problem child. As usual when I start a new subject, the first one has a…
I love the music of Dalmatia. Here’s another song I often find myself humming – a lovely lyrical description of fishermen setting out in their boats before dawn, accompanied by bickering seagulls, while everyone else sleeps. This is the wonderful Ribari (Fishermen) by Vinko Coce, with some beautifully evocative scenes of the Adriatic in this…
We came across the Bistro Eremitaž (that’s Hermitage with a Croatian accent!) when we went sketching at a little beach out on the north shore of Stari Grad. We read the menu, looked at the inviting shady terrace overlooking the water and thought – we must come back and eat here sometime. Two years later,…
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…
One of the most memorable dinners I’ve had on the island of Hvar (and there have been quite a few) was at the Konoba Dvor Duboković in Pitve. That’s lower Pitve, not upper Pitve, though it’s quite high enough to have glorious views. Pitve was the site of an ancient settlement, believed to be the…
Following my previous blog on Hvar’s drystone walls, I’m moving backwards in time beyond the Greek colonists to the Illyrians, who lived here before them. Between 2,000 and 1,000 B.C. the population began to settle on hilltops. Their huts were defended by ditches and stone ramparts some of which were massive. One of these hilltop…
Go Hvar 
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