WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2017

east. It’s about 21 miles long and three miles wide – with a
population of about 11,000.
Its gentle sub-Mediterranean climate works wonders for the
local flora: More than a thousand species of plants grow on
the island – including 230 aromatic and medicinal herbs.
Most plants are native and grow wild – but some species
were imported by sea captains who roamed the world back
when Losinj was a ship-building hub and its merchant fleet
rivaled even the merchant fleet of Venice. Pine forests are
everywhere – thanks to visionary environmentalist and stillrevered
climatologist Ambroz Haračić, who in the 1880s started
the Losinj Afforestation Society, which planted hundreds
of thousands of evergreens, mostly Aleppo pines, sequoias,
juniper and cypress, throughout the island.
For citified visitors, the simple act of breathing is a pleasure
on Losinj. Inhale a bouquet of rosemary, lavender, sage, laurel,
“Croatia claims 1,185 islands, islets and
reefs in the Adriatic; just 47 are inhabited.
Losinj (pronounced low-sheen) sits
in the Northern Adriatic’s Kvarner Gulf...”
Bike riders enjoying the view of the harbor
at Veli Losinj.
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