VIS

HERE WE GO AGAIN…

Though the tourism industry has swelled and property prices have soared quite a bit since the Meryl Streep movie Mamma Mia was filmed on the Croatian island of Vis a couple of years ago, you will not see pictures of the lovely Ms. Streep anywhere on this outlying island. That is because the citizens of Vis would rather keep their island quiet and not overrun with tourists. Yeah, I guess the influx of tourist Kunas is great, but the citizens don’t want to suffer for the hordes. How do I know this? Why, our cruise director Ida offers us bits of information on all the islands we are visiting that day during our expansive lunch sessions aboard the proud luxurious M/S Infinity. On the day we visited Vis she told us that the good citizens of Vis would rather have a quiet little island.

 

STRINIVA BEACH, VIS

Still, there seemed to be plenty of tourism at the port of Vis with luxury ships like ours and yachts galore moored in port and several more anchored in the harbor. There was a stretch of konobas catering to visitors along the busy quay. Okay, there were no posters or shops offering Mamma Mia tours or Meryl Streep bobbleheads, like the Game of Throne shops in Dubrovnik everywhere we turned. Turns out Vis doesn’t need Hollywood. It is already a busy island with ferries coming in from Split and Ancona, Italy and is known for its raw pristine beauty, and for having some very incredible beaches and coves to explore. In fact, Stiniva Beach at the end of a long narrow cove on the southern side of the island is considered by some as the best beach in Europe!

 

PORT OF VIS

Yet, despite the tumult of the port, steps away down some of the streets I could see the serenity of a toddler riding a tricycle in the, his father hovering nearby, and old men smoking cigarettes ignoring the glitz that loomed in port. As I walked along kids played in the street and people stood in doorways talking about a life unblemished by my appearance. Some kids were entrepreneurial though and had set up a table to sell knickknacks to passing tourists like we used to with lemonade stands. It was cute and Vis was as laid-back as we had seen since we arrived in Croatia.

BEACH PRILOVO, VIS

BEACH PRILOVO

Before we were able to dock the Infinity had to sit off shore for nearly two hours to wait her turn to dock. As Janet decided to give her body a respite from the sun and took a nap in our room, I watched people frolic on a pebble beach near a Franciscan monastery and church on a peninsula that stretched into the port. It was so tantalizingly close and by the time we docked we had just a short time to ourselves and I insisted we hoof it over to Prilovo beach for a swim. The water was clear and cool and saved us from the oppressive heat. The pebbles seemed uninviting, but families were splayed out all over the gently sloping “beach”. There were showers and places to change and there was a konoba serving drinks and there were games like pool and table soccer on the lawn. There is a cement promenade that goes around the peninsula, but we had really no time to dawdle. Again, we had another tour on Vis and we wanted to make it.

ISLAND OF VIS BEACHES

Leponovic cellar 

STAND TALL

I had mentioned earlier, the pristine, untouched beauty of Vis, is not without an interesting history. Because it is the furthest island from the mainland, Vis has always had a strong military strategic value. During World War II Josef Broz Tito, the savior of Yugoslavia, made the island his partisan hideout from the Nazis and after the war much of the island became a closed military installation. Vis was prepared as the frontline to any naval assault and many tunnels were burrowed to ready the island for an attack that fortunately never came. For decades the entire island of Vis was off limits to foreigners and many Yugoslavs and even island residents were not allowed in certain areas. This lasted until 1990 when Croatia gained her independence and much of the military facilities on Vis were then abandoned. Today, some of the facilities are tourist attractions, but some serve a much greater purpose....housing wine.

WINE NOT

Part of our visit to Vis was a wine tasting with Lipanovic Winery. Wine making on Vis is very prevalent. The tour of Lipanovic and the tasting were arranged through Unforgettable Croatia and we walked about 15 minutes away from the port to reach this refurbished military tunnel. Along with an array of snacks like anchovies, peppers, bread soaked with olive oil and topped with capers, and cheeses we were served first their Viski Opal Rose, then the white, Vugava, and then the powerful full-bodied Plavac Mali which means “little blue” but weighs in at 15%.

Later when we dined in the enchanting 16^th Century garden of Vila Kaliopa we drank a number of bottles of the Lipanovic Vugava white with our new friends, Beth and Dave, Mary and Ralph, as we had grilled John Dory flounder and grilled Red Scorpion. Never heard of that ugly ass fish before but I’d eat it again. Before we picked our fish the waiter came around to show us what fish were available.

Fish Boy

To reach Vila Kaliopa keep walking from the quay until you think you’ve gone too far. Their number for reservations is: 385 (0) 91 27 11 755.

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow we’ve got an early start. First, we visit the serenity of the Blue Cave and then hope to survive the shock and awe of Hvar.