BračĮach port, each hike, each swim brought unforgettable delights. As Stari Grad slowly worked up to a gentle evening buzz, I had a grandstand view from the harbour-side terrace of Craft Beer & Grill and the taste of Dalmatia on my plate (tuna tartare, smoked mussels, olives and anchovies).
Later, we would walk through the Unesco-listed Stari Grad plain, laced with the vineyards and olive groves created by the Greeks in the fourth century BC. The sleepiness suited my post-lunch amble through narrow lanes of stone houses and the Renaissance fortress built for the Croatian poet Petar Hektorović. Each port, each hike, each swim – all brought unforgettable delights Hvarīypassing party-central Hvar town, Emanuel steered us towards quieter, more intimate Stari Grad and a morning swim.
At its peak is a ruined Habsburg fortress, providing a picturesque backdrop to views of Vela Luka, Hvar and the mainland’s Dinaric Alps – a promise of what was to come. We had Korčula to look forward to, and a strenuous hike up to the large hill called Hum at 376 metres above sea level overlooking the town of Vela Luka. Vis whetted my appetite for a longer stay, but I contented myself with a swim at Prirovo beach and an evening on the town’s beautiful Venetian waterfront. It was nearly 30C when we zigzagged up from Vis town, but glorious views kept us distracted from the heat, and there was a mountain hut selling cold beer at the summit. The boat was already on the move when I woke up, cruising to far-flung Vis and a morning hike to the top of 270-metre Sveti Andrija, a hill just outside Vis town. There was just time for a late-evening dish of squid-ink risotto at Restoran Kamenice in the harbour before a nightcap on deck in the balmy air. It did the trick: after hefty glasses of Dobričić red wine, tapenade and anchovies, we happily trailed back down the hill as the sun set over the Adriatic.
Our goal was not only to enjoy a view of the sea from the top of Vela Straža but also a wine-tasting with the Kaštelanac family, surely the most convivial way to bond a disparate group of people ranging from thirtysomethings to septuagenarians. ‘Those special moments were mounting up’ … hiking to Vela Straža on Šolta
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