We were intrigued when we were recently invited by the delightful Hana Čičić of Vinart, to the Grand Cro event at Bokeria in Split. So what is the Grand Cro association? It brings together some of Croatia’s premier wine producers. The members are Baković from Brač, Bibich from Plastovo, Boškinac from Pag, Duboković from Jelsa…
Split’s Croatian National Theatre (HNK) has a full winter program of drama, opera and ballet, including the Nutcracker, although it took me a minute or two to recognise that under the name of “Orašar” in the schedule! Advance publicity and booking is curiously restricted to just one month ahead, making forward planning slightly tricky for…
One of Split’s most famous citizens can be seen in the Trg braće Radić (aka Voćni trg /Fruit Square). Standing high above the crowds, Marko Marulić is impressive in his long bronze robes, holding a large tablet on which he writes intently. The characterisation in this statue is wonderful, for this is the father of Croatian literature, a lawyer and judge by day, a leading Renaissance humanist, and one of the first authors in the Croatian language. The statue, of course, is by the wonderful Ivan Meštrović, unveiled in 1925.
Lunch recommendations from our friend Čedo always lead us to somewhere special. Perivoj restaurant in Split is a graceful villa set in its own gardens deep in the backstreets of the city. Villa Tončić is a large villa, almost a mini palace, with a huge garden, a short walk from the old city core. The villa…
Kaštela is a combination of seven small towns that lie along the coast between Split and Trogir. It’s a lovely location, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves under the high mountain range of Kozjak. This used to be a popular resort for beach holidays, in the days before Split airport was built and recent travellers…
This is the 7th year for the Dalmacija Wine Expo, and we’ve attended six of those. It’s always a fun event, and we enjoy checking out what’s new and meeting up with old friends. This year, it was held in a new venue, the Hotel Park in Split. There were some good and some not…
With a week to go, the Dalmacija Wine Expo website has finally announced the lineup of seminars for the Vinska Skola (Wine School) and the chefs taking part in the Stars of Cuisine event. Yay! This looks to be an exciting couple of days! Friday 22nd April 2016 16:00 – 17:00 Jo Ahearne: Hvar –…
For most of us, seaplanes seem an echo from the past, a remnant of times gone by, when travel was more adventurous, more glamorous. But they’re also visions of the future for Europe’s many islands and remote coastal areas – for example Scotland’s west coast, the Croatian islands, Italy and Greece. And around the rest…
We just spent a happy couple of days exploring the latest in Croatian wines at this year’s Dalmatia Wine Expo. We’ve enjoyed going to this event since the first one in a sports hall in Makarska. It’s now a very polished conference complete with educational seminars and exhibiting winemakers, held at the Radisson Blu hotel…
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.
Go Hvar 
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