HVAR ISLAND
Queen of the Dalmatian islands
Hvar is the most famous of all Croatian islands, best known for its turquoise waters, lavender fields and 2.800 hours of sunshine a year. Renowned for its history and culture, lovely countryside, hidden bays, tasty food, and great local wines is a bucket destination.
Talk to Tamara who says she spent some of her best summers in the nineties, on Hvar island, before mass tourism hit Croatia, and when Hvar wasn’t famous for its party nights.
“We were young and carefree spending our days on beautiful Pakleni islands sunbathing on big stones and swimming naked. Hvar Island wrapped us with a timeless sense of liberty. It was experiential bliss”.
Cobble-stone streets, centuries-old squares, churches, and palaces dotting major towns and villages on Hvar are all witnesses of the island’s long history.
After hearing of so many celebrities visiting the island, you might imagine it all glitz and glamor, and it’s far from the truth. The number one reason to visit the island is actually its stunning nature. Wild herbs perfume the air wherever you go along with scents of rosemary, lavender, and wild oregano.
Illyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Croatians, Venetians, Austrians, French, Italians, they all ruled the island throughout history, and they all left a trace in the island’s architecture, culture, food.
Wherever you go on the island, you’ll encounter something of historical value. Its hard to resist its charm and beauty that heals. Its is a place where you might need extra time for sightseeing.
TURQUOISE WATER, SUNSHINE & LAVENDER FIELDS
In Dalmatia, there’s an important cultural tradition called Fjaka that becomes the lifestyle attitude.
Essentially, it’s about focusing with mindful presence and quieting all sensory input by letting yourself be. Primarily, it was linked to the time between 1 pm – 5 pm when the summer heat is usually at its peak.
Tamara recalls her childhood memories of this one-to-five rule when during those times when utmost quiet and silence was needed.
Here on Hvar you can choose your fjaka ritual as you like; be totally immersed in what you are doing, whether it be having coffee on a balcony, staring at the ceiling, meditating, making cakes, or just thinking. The aim is the mindful presence of the moment. Allow yourself to be your self.
Towns Hvar, Stari Grad and Jelsa are main island centres, which due to their proportional architecture and the fact that they are located by the sea have become known across the globe.
Hvar Island is home to one of the oldest cultivated fields globally, the Stari Grad plains; so old that UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 2008. The incredible fact is that these only flat areas on Hvar of agricultural plots from 4th Century Greeks are still producing food nowadays.
A moderate Mediterranean climate with mild and rainy winters and warm and sunny summers facilitate thriving vegetation that made the life on the island pleasant.
A clean sea rich in fish (although less then before) and the sunny island slopes are perfect to grow grapes, olives, figs and other Mediterranean cultures.
It is actually the town of Hvar that has the highest number of sunshine hours per year – 2764 hours.