Island of Hvar article in Toronto Star

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Under the title “An island ghost town” , subtitled as “Hvar has it all – from quiet beaches and quaint fishing villages to seaside cafés”, Croatian Island of Hvar has been featured in Toronto Star papers.

The following is an extract from the article:

” Even on Sunday mornings the church bells are eerily silent in the crumbling stone village of Humac, and there’s not a prayer that the wooden doors of its quiet place of worship are going to be unlocked anytime soon.

This old shepherd’s village may boast one of the best views on this Dalmatian Island, given that it’s perched 350 metres above the sparkling blue Adriatic Sea, but there’s almost no one here to enjoy it except a couple of dogs and a lone donkey.

And that’s clearly the way that Miko Rubinic likes it. He’s farmed this land for decades and still harvests about 30 wagons-full of grapes a year from the sprawling vineyards of this true Croatian ghost town where the vines and lavender fields are centuries old and the very foundations of this unusual hilltop town are believed to go back to the Stone Age….

Remarkably, a good number of tourists manage to find their way here each summer, thanks to a couple of enterprising locals and a simple sign on the main roadway that points to Konoba Humac, a summer tavern/restaurant in one of the more well-preserved village houses where they serve up the Croatian specialty peka, a hearty stew cooked under a deep cast-iron lid on a wood stove. The restaurant does a booming busy in peak season, says Culic, despite the fact the village has no electricity and, judging by the plastic tubing snaking into an oversized rain barrel, no running water…”

The article also says following about other Croatian Islands:

” There are too many Dalmatian Islands to mention, but here are some key ones accessible by ferry from the central Croatian city of Split.

VIS: Locals call this most distant and mountainous island “an oasis of tranquility,” mainly because the former Yugoslav military considered it a strategic stronghold and kept outsiders off until 1989. As a result, it’s virtually untouched. Its inlets and beaches are popular for boating, kayaking, swimming and sunbathing.

KORCULA: The birthplace of Marco Polo with a walled city sometimes described as little Dubrovnik, this island dates back to at least the 13th century and boasts a well-preserved old urban core, fortresses, palaces and churches.

BRAC: The largest of the Dalmatians is perhaps best-known for its Bol beach and limestone quarries. It’s from this stone that the U.S. White House got its name. From the noble summer houses of the town of Sutivan to the small city of Supetar, originally a Roman settlement, this island offers up a mix of late antique, Medieval and Baroque architecture.

SOLTA: This 19-kilometre-long island was first settled in about the 4th century BC and boasts some prehistoric and Roman ruins. It has rocky shores and fine bays and its sheltered western coast is a favourite anchoring spot for smaller yachts.” Link to article