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Bol's two beaches lie at either end of the town. Zlatni Rat - the Golden Horn - is Bol's best-known feature, a spit of fine white pebbles, extending 1/2 km straight out into the sea, backed by cool pine woods. the water so clear and still you can see every pebble (and little fish) perfectly. There's a cafe back in the pines and parking (30kn for the day) under trellissed vines. You really cannot come to Bol and not swim here at some time. Come here early in the morning and you will have the place virtually to yourself. Come later in the day, before the holiday season really gets in to full swing, and you will find the place pleasantly active. Come in high summer and it will be packed!!
The shape of the spit changes through the year with the wind and the wash of the sea so that, seen from the top of Vidova Gora, one day it may have a decidedly left-wards turn whilst at another time it may be quite straight or perhaps have a little curl right at the tip.
For those in the know, there's another option. Behind the Dominican Monastery at Glavica , there's another little beach, a pretty curve of white pebbles - maybe not as white or as fine as the ones out at Zlatni Rat, but the water is just as clear, and it's much more peaceful. This is where the locals like to swim.
A small word of warning - a warm current flows around the point here, parallel with the shore. It's very pleasant to float along with it, but it can be quite strong and you may find you have drifted quite a way from where you left your things. It's not dangerous - it won't carry you out to sea but swimming back against it may be more tiring than you think.
Skinny dipping is restricted to an area known as Paklina, further west of Zlatni Rat. Leave a Comment Directions: If you're carless, a tourist train runs out to Zlatni Rat from the centre of town if you don't feel like walking along the the smooth stone path under the shade of the pines. You can also find boatmen in the harbour to take you there.
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Pronounced Su-pett-ar, the main ferry port and largest town on Brac, Supetar (St Peter) is the hub of the island. Situated on the island's north coast, almost directly opposite Split, almost everyone who comes to the island passes through the town, the summer visitors often moving on to their holiday accommodation, not returning until it's time to catch the ferry off the island on their last day. For those who take the time to pay the small town some attention, Supetar has its own charms and a monument or two that is worth seeking out.
Arriving on the ferry, you can't miss the the sight of the cemetery with its beautiful white marble mausoleum that occupies the end of Cape St Nicholas. Lovers of graveyards won't want to miss this one - there's everything here from ancient Roman graves to splendid Art Nouveau mausoleums.
Once the ferry has docked, it's just a couple of minute's walk around to the colourful inner basin, lined with cafes and 19th century stuccoed buildings built during the period of Austrian rule. It's a cheerful scene but if you want to see a more "authentic" style of Bracian building, you'll need to walk further into the narrow streets behind the hardour where the pretty pastels of the harbourside give way to the soft creams and greys of the vernacular stone-built island houses with their typical balconies and mansard roofs.
Before you lose yourself in the back streets though, take a little time to look at the buildings immediately behind the harbourfront. This is where you'll find some gracious Baroque buildings dating from the 17th and 18th century, the period when the little village was growing into a sizeable town. A wide staircase will take you up to the square in front of the
church, which gives the town its name. Ancient sarcophogii found on the site tell us this has been a consecrated place since the earliest Christian times but the name Sv Petar was first mentioned in 1423. It's known that restoration work was carried out on the present church in 1604 and again in 1733 before being enlarged in the 19th century. As with so many Croatian towns, the church's tall bell tower is a prominent landmark. Leave a Comment
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The only town on Brac's south coast, and the only town on the island not tucked away into a sheltered cove, Bol is the the island's most popular holiday destination and one of the earliest settlements. The choice of such an unprotected stretch of coastline for the settlement is easily understood once you know that there is a fresh water spring here - a most precious thing on an island almost completely without fresh water.
Bol's other treasure is what brings the tourists - the magnificent beach at Zlatni Rat, arguably the most beautiful - and certainly the most photographed beach in all Croatia. Looking down on it all is Vidova Gora - the highest point on all the Adriatic islands -and, to complete the picture-postcard -perfection of it all, Gothic and Renaissance houses stand side by side with cafes, restaurants and galleries around the harbourside where pleasure craft bob in the clear waters. The 17th century Baroque Church of Our Lady of Carmel is usually closed but do take a look at the carving over the door . A representation of an angel hold Veronica's veil, it is a relic from an earlier church on the site.
The town lies between Zlatni Rat (at the western end) and the Dominican Monastery to the east on Glavica, now a small peninsula though it was once a small island. A pinetree-shaded 2km pathway to Zlatni Rat is lined with small stalls selling souvenirs and the usual tourist tat - fun for browsing and you're bound to find something you just can't leave behind. For more up-market mementos, the shops and galleries along the harbour front have plenty of choice. Leave a Comment Directions: It's 33 km from Supetar to Bol, you get a wonderful view of the town as you come over the crest and down. Buses from Supetar to Bol generally run in connection with the ferry arrival times.
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At 778metres, Vidova Gora, the mountain behind Bol, is the highest point of the Adriatic islands. Needless to say, the view from the top is quite spectacular - on a clear day you can see not only Bol and Zlatni Rat down below you and Hvar across the channel, but also to Vis and Korcula. We were told there are traces of an ancient church, Sv Vid, on the peak but we couldn't find them - not that we looked all that hard, the wind was blowing and the smell of roasting lamb from the small stone-built konoba soon tempted us in to its shelter.
The konoba is a new building constructed in the old way, completely of stone roof and all. The owners are very proud of their efforts to continue this tradition. Leave a Comment Directions: We chose the easy - if long - way to the top, taking the road around from Bol through Nerezisca. There is a track to hike or bike up from Bol, but you'd need to be fit! You can also take a tour - book at the Bol tourist information office on the harbour.
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Bol's eastern boundary is marked by the the tall belltower and dark pines of the Dominican Monastery. It's a lovely place, well worth a visit. The peninsula it stands on is known as Glavica and there is evidence that a church of some sort has stood here since the 6th century.
The tiny Church of Ss John and Theodore that stands near the front of the monastery dates to the 11thC but is built directly over that first church. From 1184 Glavica was the site of an Episcopal palace used by the Bishop of the islands of Brac, Hvar and Vis when he came to Brac. When the Dominicans came to Glavica in the 15th century they lived in the Bishop's Palace initially, commencing work on the monastery buildings and the church in 1475.
They dedicated the monastery church to Our Lady of Mercy and continued to build it in several stages from the 15th C on. The bell tower was completed in the 18thC. Don't miss the very beautiful painted ceiling under the choir whilst you're in there. The monastery's greatest treasure - an altar painting of the Madonna and Child by Tintoretto - has been moved to the museum.
The museum is well laid out and has a good collection of interesting artifacts - secular and religious - including prehistoric arrows and tools, some impressive amphorae and other items from Greek and Roman times They also own =an excellent coin collection that spans a thousand years and more of the island's early history. As you would expect in a monastery, there is also a fine collection of religious items, including the oldest Croatian mediaeval sculpture known. There is also magnificently embroidered regalia, a small collection of mostly 16th and 17th C Venetian paintings and some marvellous books and documents - including the artist Tintoretto's bill (he charged the monks 270 Venetian ducats - a fairly hefty sum in the 17th C).
Finally there are the monastery gardens, green and shady terraces overlooking the sea. A gate leads out to steps that go right down to the water but swimming from here is only for the monastery's guests.
Simple accommodation is available in the monastery guesthouse Leave a Comment Phone: +385-21-778-000Directions: Open May- September. 10am-noon and 5pm-8pm There is a small entry charge for the museum.
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Whilst you could come to Brac and never move far from the beach nearest to where you're staying, it would be a shame not to explore the island. Just a single day spent exploring a few of the old villages will reveal some delightful spots and offer an insight into the island's long history. Even if you're not really into history, you can't help but be charmed by the beauty of the island.
The first glimpse of Pucisca through the pine trees on the steep, winding road is idyllic - a picture book village at the end of a deep sheltered bay. The church of St Jerome dominates the town. Inside , you'll find a beautifully carved 16th century wooden altarpiece and the church treasury holds some important works also - including a 12th century charter, perhaps the most historic document on the island The Riva is lined with fine Renaissance buildings that tell of the wealth of the town in past times.
If you're here at lunchtime, you might like to try one of the restaurants, or, like us, you might prefer to choose your daily icecream (Croatian icecream is so good!) , wander through the streets a bit and then move on, leaving the old men dozing in their spot in the shade. Leave a Comment Directions: Pucisca is on the north coast of the island, about 10km as the crow flies from Supetar - by the winding road it's about twice as far.
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The village of Postira was founded in the 16th century, but right beside the parish church of St John the Baptist lies evidence of a much older settlement here - the foundations of a 2-aisled early basilica, most probably the church of a monastery that occupied this land in late Roman times. Ruins of Roman country villas in the area support the knowledge of this early occupation.
The layout of the church can be seen quite clearly - the two aisles of the church leading to the apse and, to the side, in a seperate section - the baptistery - the cross-shaped font sunk into the ground. In these early days of Christianity, baptism followed the example of Christ's baptism by immersion in the waters of the River Jordan. Adult converts had to be baptised before they could enter the church itself, so the font was housed outside the main body of the church. It was only when the whole populace was Christian that the practice of infant baptism saw the font being brought into the church itself.
This area of the island is particularly liberally scattered with the remnants of building of this period - Brac was famed for its olives even then and what could have been more pleasant for a retired Roman soldier that living in a villa on this beautiful island surrounded by an olive grove? Leave a Comment
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Like Pucisca, Lozisca has a lovely, elegant bell tower that stands tall over all the houses, but this is an inland village, no harbour here, rather steep sides of as rocky ravine where the houses, in their serried ranks, one row above the other, all face south to catch the sun. Unlike most of the island's churches, Lozisca's Church of SS John and Paul was only built in the 19th century, but the bell tower is regarded as undoubtedly the loveliest on the island.
Despite the grandeur of its beltower, the village was always poor and saw massive emigration during the latter part of the 19th century until quite recent years. This depopulation has meant that the village has retained much of its traditional character as so many buildings are deserted and empty and there has been very little new building for a very long time.
You'll pass Lozisca on the way to Milna - Brac's main sailing centre. To get into the village you have to take a detour across the ravine but even if you only stop for a moment to take in the sight of the village across the valley, I'm sure you'll agree, it's one of the most impressive sights on the island. Leave a Comment
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On the high plateau in the centre of Brac, the village of Praznica is known to have been in existence by the 12th century. Its parish church,dedicated to St Anthony the Abbot was begun in 1400, and even in this most rural and isolated (as it would certainly have been in past centuries), populated by shepherds living in scattered simple houses, faith and affection for their beloved saints saw the building a fine church with some beautiful adornments.
Brac's patron saint is St Jerome (born in this region, he is credited with devising the ancient Croatian script) and the church at Praznica has a elaborate, if naive, side altar dedicated to the saint. The carving of Jerome has a Croatian -style church outside the cave and the fine painted ceiling sets some of its scenes in a local landscape Leave a Comment
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There are literally dozens of tiny chapels to be found on Brac - some in the towns and villages, others in really remote places out in the countryside. Dedicated to a positive calendar of saints, many date back to the 9th and 10th centuries, tiny stone buildings, often situated on hilltops, often on the site of an even earlier church (and sometimes with evidence of a pre-Christian cult shrine).
St Peter's Chapel in Nerezisca may not be the oldest - it was built sometime in the 14th century, - but the sight of a tiny pinetree growing on its apsidal roof makes it one to seek out. Take a look too at the charming relief carving inside the church - the work of a local sculptor, it dates back to 1578. Leave a Comment
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on May 9, 2008
