Broad horizons Back to nature

58 Zadar county
Zadar county
59
Neighbouring Ist is tiny, measuring under 10km2. It
has sandy beaches, vineyards and olive groves, and is
good for sailing, fishing and total relaxation, absolutely
uncommercialised.
Pašman
You can reach Pašman either by crossing the road bridge
from Ugljan, or by taking the ferry from Biograd to Tkon, the
island’s main settlement. Like Ugljan, it’s fairly low-lying and
fertile, with olive groves and vineyards. There are a couple of
sand beaches at Kraj, a pleasant hamlet with a wonderfully
preserved Franciscan Monastery, St Dominius, dating
back to the 14th century. Tkon also has a 12th century
Romanesque Benedictine convent, sited on Ćokovac
hill, overlooking the town. In general, Pašman consists of
peaceful hamlets and coves to explore on land or by boat, to
relax and enjoy healthy local produce, or even stay in an ecocottage.
If you fancy a little café society, head to Ždrelac,
an idyllic little place where you’ll find a great lounge bar, also
fine for morning coffee. 2km from Tkon, there’s the Sovinje
Naturist Camp (http://fkksovinje.hr), which has lovely clean
sandy beaches.
Tourist information
i
Pašman Tourist Board Pašman, tel.
(+385-23) 26 01 55, info@pasman.hr,
www.pasman.hr.
Tkon Tourist Board Tkon, tel. (+385-
23) 28 52 13, tz-opcine-tkon@zd.t-com.hr. QJune,
September Open 08:00 - 14:00, Sun 08:00 - 10:00. July,
August Open 08:00 - 20:00, Sun 08:00 - 12:00.
Pag
Pag is one of the most unusual Adriatic islands. Parts of it are
extremely rocky and devoid of vegetation, and look like the
moon. Other parts are reminiscent of Spaghetti Westerns,
with desert-like scenery and the odd spiky cactus. It’s not
what you’d normally expect from the Mediterranean. But
that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There are many other weird and
wonderful things about Pag.
It’s oddly squid-like in shape,
with the “tentacles” forming
lagoons. The sea is very calm
here and the water has an
exceptionally high salt content.
There have been saltpans
here for centuries: you can still
buy Pag salt normally in any
supermarket. It’s completely
natural and has a high mineral
content. The salty winds mean that on many parts of the
island, rather little vegetation survives except scrub and
herbs, so sheep farming is the main agricultural activity.
These salty herbs lend a special flavour to the animals’
meat and milk, which makes great cheese. Pag cheese
is highly valued - it’s one of Croatia’s most famous export
products. A good Pag cheese is mature, strong tasting and
hard, a little like Parmesan. The real Pag cheese is expensive,
so don’t be surprised if cheaper offerings disappoint. We
recommend being adventurous and trying to get hold of
some home made stuff on the island itself. Ask your hosts
to recommend someone, or look out for signs saying “Paški
sir”. Pag island lamb is also regarded as a delicacy - do try
it if you have the chance.
The island’s other renowned cottage industry is lace
making. Since, once upon a time, there was nothing better
for the women of Pag to do than keep an eye on a few sheep,
watch salt dry and wait for hubby to come home with the
day’s catch, they kept idle thumbs at bay by lace-making.
Over the centuries they evolved a style so ethereal that it
is considered one of Croatia’s most highly prized products.
Hours of work goes into a tiny piece, so it is quite expensive
- expect to pay from 200kn for a small piece direct from
the maker, or around 400kn for a mounted example from
a Zadar gallery (try the Lik gallery, see “Shopping”). But it
is a beautiful memento of your holiday, and your purchase
supports a vital cottage industry.
In the mid 15th century, the Venetians commissioned Juraj
Dalmatinac, Dalmatia’s most famous architect, to design
the island capital, Pag town. It has a planned symmetrical
layout, with a modest, drowsy feel. Walking through the
streets, you intimately feel the life that goes on inside the little
cottages, The town’s most striking church, St Mary’s, was
also designed by Dalmatinac. He combined a Romanesque
Dalmatian spirit with Renaissance and Gothic elements to
create a striking edifice. The town has a few other interesting
churches and palaces, wonderfully clean pebble beaches
and several good restaurants.
In the last few years, Pag has also built the reputation as
Croatia’s party island, and the place where it all happens
is the town of Novalja. Novalja, though not the capital, is
the island’s most populous settlement, and has most of its
facilities such as clinics and schools. A couple of kilometres
from town is an excellent Blue Flag beach, Zrće, where a
number of bars and clubs, including coastal versions of
some of Zagreb’s most famous names, have opened to
create Croatia’s answer to Ibiza. There are restaurants, ice
Tourist information
i
Tourist Information Centre Vela ulica 18,
Pag, tel. (+385-23) 61 12 86, tzg-paga1@
zd.t-com.hr, www.tzgpag.hr.
cream parlours, pools and more. It’s wildly popular. Because
of that, some might find it a bit too noisy and commercialised
in high season. But never fear, Pag has the longest coastline
of all Croatian islands (270km), and there are many places
where you can escape the crowds. Expect lunar landscapes,
white pebbles, crystal clear water and, on the north side of
the island, spectacular views over the Velebit peaks on the
mainland. One of our favourites is the Ručica beach near
Metajna - turn left at the wooden sign before the village, and
follow the road to the end. You’ll need to walk the last bit.
It’s wonderful to watch the sun go down, turning the rocks
pink as you sit on pristine white pebbles by the crystalline,
lagoon-calm sea.
Money, money...
Money, money, ancient money! The first ever Croatian
paper currency was the ‘assignat of the City of Pag’,
in 1778. Until then, payments to clerks, officials and
doctors were in salt. Once the ‘assignat’ was launched,
the amount of salt was then converted to the lira
equivalent and an invoice was issued. Each ‘assignat’
had an inscription of the amount of money and the date
of issue.
Silba, Olib & Premuda
These small green islands with one village apiece, each
necklaced by sparkling-clean beaches, are well off the usual
tourist repertoire but easily accessible by boat from Zadar
(see “Getting around”).
Silba, despite having no cars, is the liveliest of the three, and
is favoured by artists so has a rather bohemian atmosphere.
The nightlife there is relaxed with great live music, including
jazz (of course), and a disco. Café Mik, by the church, plays
jazz (sometimes live sessions in the evenings), and has a
large space for art displays inside. Walk to the lovely gravelly
beaches with agaves accompanying your way, learn to
windsurf, rent a boat or (if you’re energetic enough) have a
game of tennis, basketball or volleyball. Although only 15km2,
Silba has 6 lovely small churches, some of them dating back
to the 17th century. Sadly, they are not in a great state of
repar. The island has an unusual monument - a 30m high
tower (known as the Toreta) built by one of the island’s sea
captains so that his wife could look out to sea and know when
he would return (and know when to get his dinner ready?).
Some people are a bit less cynical than us and see it as a
symbol of love.
Olib and Premuda are rather more sleepy. Like most Dalmatian
islands, sandy Olib has no water sources, but unusually it
has an undersea pipeline bringing Velebit’s renowned pure
water to the island. It also has many pheasants and rabbits,
which people run after with pop guns. Some say Olib’s cheese
is better than the more famous one made on Pag, and the
local wine and olive oil are also great stuff. Olib has a lovely
little fort, the remains of a monastery, and five churches
including the Church of the Assumption of Mary, where
you can see a document written in the Glagolitic script - the
alphabet in which Croatian was first written.
Premuda is a superb place for diving enthusiasts - it has
an underwater cavern known as The Cathedral to explore,
and the wreckage of a ship, the St Istvan. Apart from that,
expect nothing other than true, idyllic island life: stone
houses, oleanders and bougainvilleas, olives and figs and
clean, clean shingle beaches. The perfect getaway.
Tourist information
i
Silba Tourist Board tel. (+385-23) 37 00 10,
tz.silba@zd.t-com.hr, www.silba.net.
Ugljan
That tower you see on the pinnacle on the island opposite
when you look from Zadar is St Michael’s Church, an easy hike
from the village of Preko on the island of Ugljan. The island’s
name comes from the Croatian word ulje, meaning oil - olive
oil production used to be one of the main activities here. The
gentle slopes facing Zadar are fertile, and there’s a pleasant
agricultural feel away from the coastal settlements - you’ll see
ladies walking along the road carrying the day’s harvest.
Kukljica is the main tourist development on Ugljan, and is
a great starting point for hiking and biking, a great way to
see the numerous historical sites on the island. There are
a number of routes outlined by the Tourist Board - call into
their office or check out the website below. A 15 minute walk
takes you to the other side of the island where you come to
excellent beaches at Sabuša and Jelenica, some of which
are sandy. The nearby cove of Kostanj also has a lovely
shallow beach and the 13th century Romanesque Church
of St Jerome (Sv. Jerolim) is nearby. Close to Kukljica is the
Zelena Punta (Green Cape) peninsula, a tourist settlement
where you’ll find a fantastic beach formed of a promenade
with deep shade from pine trees, super-clean water and
shingle and sand in the water. The islet of Ošljak is also
popular for bathing - two Jadrolinija ferries call here per day,
taking you to Zadar or Preko.
On August 5, Kukljica celebrates the festival of Our Lady of
the Snows - apparently it snowed once here in August - and
everybody complains about how bad the weather is these
days! A convoy of fishing boats travels ceremoniously to a
nearby church. The port of Kali also celebrates this occasion
- the townspeople are famous for being great fishermen, and
oddly enough, 90 percent of them went to Panama and still
can be seen fishing there to this day.
Tourist information
i
Kukljica Tourist Board Kukljica,
tel. (+385-23) 37 32 76, kukljica@
kukljica.hr, www.kukljica.hr.
Preko Tourist Board Magazin 8,
Preko, tel. (+385-23) 28 61 08,
tzpreko@preko.hr, www.preko.hr. QJune, September
Open 08:00 - 13:00, 18:00 - 21:00, July - August 31 Open
08:00 - 22:00.
Zadar In Your Pocket
zadar.inyourpocket.com
zadar.inyourpocket.com
Summer 2011