Dubrovnik Surroundings On Pelješac you can find wonderful stone villages, untouched by modern times. Coastal hamlets are backed by steep slopes, their shores fringed by pine. Pelješac is famous for pristine shingle beaches, and on the southern side a bracing wind makes this a favorite spot for windsurfers, especially at Viganj. Orebić is the largest resort, its architecture reflecting its links with the Republic of Dubrovnik, and has fantastic stretches of shingle to the east of town. A ferry connects Orebić with Korčula town, and Trstenik to Polače on Mljet - ideal for island hopping. The best thing about Pelješac is its unspoilt character. Take time to slowly discover and drink in its delights - a week will hardly be long enough. Orebić Tourist Board QZrinsko Frankopanska 2, Orebić, tel. (+385-20) 71 37 18, <strong>info</strong>@visitorebic-croatia.hr, www.visitorebiccroatia.com. Open 08:00 - 20:00. July, August Open 08:00 - 22:00. Ston Tourist Board QPelješki put bb, Ston, tel. (+385-20) 75 44 52, tzston@ du.t-com.hr, www.ston.hr. Open 08:00 - 19:00. October Open 08:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 19:00. Closed Sun. Korčula Tourist Board Archives 70 Dubrovnik In Your Pocket The walls of Ston In an area known for its rugged natural beauty, few manmade sights are more magnificent than the grizzled fourteenth-century walls of Ston. For many years only a tiny stretch of this 5.5km-long line of fortifications was accessible to the public, but after a long period of renovation a significant circuit of wall was ceremonially opened to the public in October 2009. Visitors can now scramble around the ring of bastions that surrounds the town of Ston itself, enjoying fantastic views of the surrounding countryside. The walls date back to 1334, when the Republic of Dubrovnik gained Ston and the neighbouring Pelješac peninsula, and immediately set about securing it against potential Venetian or Ottoman attack. The area was well worth the investment: the salt pans of Ston went on to become a key source of Dubrovnik’s revenue, and helped to keep the republic’s fleet on the seas. Spanning the isthmus that connects the Peljesac peninsula to the mainland, and consisting of 40 towers and 5 fortresses, the walls comprise one of the longest stretches of surviving fortifications in the whole of Europe. Local sources reckon it to be the second longest stretch in the world after the Great Wall of China, although this eye-popping claim was probably intended as an attention-grabbing ruse by PR-conscious tourist officials. In the event, we feel obliged to report that a few idle seconds of web-surfing revealed that Kumbhalgarh in India boasts 36km of surviving wall - although we didn’t bother investigating any further. The Walls of Ston QGundulićeva poljana 2, tel. +385 (0)20 638 800/+385 (0)20 638 801/802, <strong>info</strong>@citywalls<strong>dubrovnik</strong>.hr, www. citywalls<strong>dubrovnik</strong>.hr. Open Jun/Jul 08:00 - 19:30 ; Aug 08:00 - 19:00 ; Sep 08:00 - 18:30 ; Oct 08:00 - 17:30. Tickets 20 - 40kn. Neretva If you visit Dubrovnik in the spring, you may be surprised to see ripe oranges lying on the ground everywhere you walk. Orange trees are so common that the fruit is often ignored, inducing a twinge of regret in visitors who have to part with good money for them back home. Obviously, the warm climate gives the people of the Dubrovnik region these southern fruits. But there is one more life-giver - the River Neretva. It starts its life as a brazen young thing, rushing green and impetuous under the famous stone bridge at Mostar, upriver in Herzegovina. In Croatia, it spreads out open arms to meet the sea, creating a swampy region. Generations of backbreaking work mean that this area today is a fertile region sometimes called Croatia’s California. As you drive north to Metković, you can stop at roadside stalls and pick up sacks of mandarins, local honey and spirits. It is also sometimes called Croatia’s Venice, as the life of the people is closely tied up with boats, used for transporting pretty much everything around here. The region has its own types of wooden boat; a smaller kind called a trupa, and a larger one called a lađa. Although these traditional boats largely died out, in recent years an annual race (Maraton lađa, August ) which attracts competing teams from around the world looks set to revive the picturesque tradition - the boats have a curiously flattish construction which is very attractive but definitely renders their navigation a challenge! More curious still is the water life of the valley. The traditional dishes of the area are often centered around two aquatic inhabitants, the frog and the eel. Both are made into a tomato casserole called brudet - you can try it in the popular restaurant Villa Neretva at the town of Metković, <strong>dubrovnik</strong>.inyourpocket.com
MANOJLOVAČKI SLAP SKRADINSKI BUK MILJACKA SLAP VISOVAC MANASTIR KRKA BURNUM <strong>info</strong>@npk.hr • www.np-krka.hr
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