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The Elafiti islands
Koločep, Lopud and Šipan These tiny islands - the first
two car-free - are fantastic places to stay: you have all the
sights of Dubrovnik on your doorstep but get to enjoy the
peace and cleanliness of island life, and accommodation
is inexpensive.
Koločep and Lopud are tiny - you can walk all around them
quite comfortably. Their settlements (Koločep has two, Lopud
just one) show in miniaturised form the architectural elegance
of the Republic of Dubrovnik, as the city’s shipowners built
their summer residences here. Thus you have fine stone
villas, some of which are now super family-run hotels. Lopud
is perhaps the prettiest of the Elafiti islands, and during the
golden age of Dubrovnik there were thirty churches on less
than 5km2 of island. (Many churches and palaces on all the
islands now lie in ruins, but they’re still interesting to chance
across on your wanders). Lopud village has a well-planted old
park with stone balustrades and statuary framing the sea.
Šipan is the largest of the Elafiti islands with two little ports,
Suđurađ (“soojooraj”) and Šipanska luka, plus a few tiny
hamlets in the interior. A bus connects the ports, taking a trip
through a fertile depression where the islanders successfully
grow a variety of produce including grapes, olives, figs and
carob. Both settlements boast fascinating old palaces and
the ruins in the interior include the former palace of the
Dubrovnik bishops.
Cavtat
Ancient Epidaurum The approach to this little gem
of a Mediterranean town is one of the most breathtaking
things about it, as the campaniles of its churches poke their
way into view above a canopy of lush trees. But that’s not
all - this was the ancient settlement of Epidaurum whose
inhabitants populated Dubrovnik. A pleasant promenade
fringes the rambling old streets, edged by cafés, a couple of
good places to drink, a selection of good restaurants and a
handful of rather lovely small hotels. The promenade leads
to the pleasant town beach, a park and a cemetery with
an imposing mausoleum by sculptor Ivan Meštrović as its
centrepiece. A little way out of town are several large hotels
which are good choices for families, with good shingle beaches
and occasionally all-inclusive packages. But we certainly
wouldn’t recommend imprisoning yourself in a modern hotel
complex when you can indulge in the delights of a meal in a
traditional konoba in the town, and the rural Konavle region,
famous for its traditional style gastronomy and folklore is on
your doorstep.
A highlight of a trip to Cavtat is the Bukovac house
(November - April 30 Open 09:00 - 13:00, 14:00 - 17:00,
Sun 14:00 - 17:00. May - October 31 Open 09:00 - 13:00,
16:00 - 20:00, Sun 16:00 - 20:00. Admission 20kn), where
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one of the best-loved Croatian artists, Vlaho Bukovac (1855
- 1922) grew up. As a child, he painted murals on the interior
walls of the lovely old villa, bringing them alive with colourful
paintings featuring semi-naive animal themes. Although
subsequent owners saw fit to paint over his works, they
have been restored with some success, and the delightful
exhibition space upstairs features paintings and sketches
surrounded by original furniture from Bukovac’s day. Bukovac’s
portraits are especially personal and full of emotion. An
exhibition space on the ground floor is given over to the work
of young artists, and the shows feature contemporary works,
a refreshing contrast with the antique mood of the rest of the
house. There’s an idyllic garden at the back, and the whole
experience is a rather uplifting one.
Konavle
The Konavle region stretches from Cavtat to the border with
Montenegro. The village of Čilipi close to the airport is one
of the cultural centres of Konavle, and on Sunday mornings
(during summer) you can witness the traditional songs and
dances of Konavle and performers dressed in colourful folk
costume. Konavle consists of a fertile valley plus upland
and coastal parts, all with stone villages that would reduce
real estate agents to tears. In the central valley, you’ll find
traditional rural restaurants where you can enjoy delicious
home grown food - locally reared meat and trout, sometimes
served by waiters and waitresses in traditional costume
(see our “Where to eat” pages). If you come in spring, you
can try dishes made with wild asparagus and see almond
orchards in bloom.
The upland section borders with Herzegovina, for centuries
the dividing line with the Ottoman Empire. Its highest point
is the Snježnica (“snowy”) peak, 1234m high. The village
cemetery at Brotnice has unusual gravestones (stećci) of the
Bogomil sect, featuring vivid primitive carvings and lettering
in the ancient language of Bosnia. There are well-marked
hiking trails, and organised trips include a hearty meal as
part of the deal.
The coastal part of Konavle is unusual for Croatia in that
it is characterised by limestone cliffs. There are very few
settlements, and the only people on the shores are locals
looking for a little solitude. At the village of Močići there is
a second century stone carving of the pagan god Mitreus,
and scattered around are old houses with unusual conical
chimneys. Molunat, the largest coastal settlement, is a quiet
fishing village in a pretty cove.
The Prevlaka peninsula is the southernmost point of Croatia
and there’s now a Nature Park here, from which you have
views over the Gulf of Kotor in Montenegro, with wild mountain
ranges behind. Prevlaka was until recently a military zone, so
don’t be surprised to come across barracks now used as a
realistic venue for paintball games. Military enthusiasts will
also be interested to see the islet which used to be an Italian
prison in WWII. There is a strange Cyrillic-inscribed monument
within the Park, apparently containing the bones of prisoners
who died of hunger. More cheerfully, there’s also a petting zoo,
an excellent climbing wall, mountain bikes are for hire and you
can feast on grilled meat and have a dip.
Tourist information
Konavle district Tourist Board Zidine
6, Cavtat, tel. (+385-20) 47 90 25,
www.tzcavtat-konavle.hr. QDecember
- March 31 Open 08:00 - 15:00. Closed Sat,
Sun. April - May 31 Open 08:00 - 19:00, Sun
08:00 - 14:00.
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