Category Archives: Hidden Croatia

EVA GLYN’S HIDDEN CROATIA: AFTER THE MONKS LEAVE…

Posted on by

As so often happens when you’re researching, I stumbled across Lopud 1483. Strange name for a monastery now turned event space and high end holiday let, but not when you discover that was the year the Franciscans started to build Gospa od Spilice, or Our Lady of the Cave.

Perched on an outcrop overlooking the main harbour on the island of Lopud, just fifteen kilometres from Dubrovnik, the monastery and its fortifications have been a landmark for generations. After the 1820s it began to crumble, the monks having decamped back to the mainland leaving a local man to open the church for anyone who wanted to pray.

It was a tiny and often forgotten slice of the monastery’s history that fascinated me originally. I was researching what happened to Dubrovnik’s Jewish community during the Second World War and discovered that some of them had been interned on Lopud for a period of about six months. This was done under the strict instructions of the German occupiers, but the soldiers guarding them were Italians who up until that point had avoided imprisoning the Jews under their jurisdiction.

What fascinated me was exactly where on the island the unfortunate Jews had been interned. There didn’t seem to be very many buildings big enough, which left me thinking about the monastery. It might have been a ruin, but it had stout fortified outer walls and in many ways was an obvious choice. So imagine my surprise when, watching a documentary about the monastery’s restoration, I saw the words ‘il duce’ painted on a wall. Italian fascists had definitely been there.

I really, really wanted to visit this beautiful place, as my characters do in the book I was writing and researching. They would have been there in 2010, quite early in the restoration programme, but I knew from experience that walking around the building and grounds would enable me to recreate it so much better for my readers.

I knew I couldn’t afford to rent this iconic property (recent guests include the Beckham family), so I emailed the general manager with the dates of my Croatian trip and kept my fingers firmly crossed. The answer was yes; they had a small gap between rentals – basically a Sunday morning – and their security officer would show me around.

First let me say that Lopud 1483 is a little slice of heaven. Its restoration took the best part of twelve years, but in 2018 it opened its doors for cultural events and private rentals. The project was masterminded by Francesca Thyssen-Bornemizsa, and it now houses her family’s extensive collection of renaissance art, furniture and artefacts.

Our guide was keen to tell us about the art, but also about the property’s history, including the physic garden and the monks’ pharmacy which have also been restored. To walk through the gardens is a wonderful sensory experience and I could have lingered there for hours, but of course I needed to find out about the Italian connection in World War Two.

Standing in the master bedroom looking at the fascist graffiti from eighty years before sent more than a shiver down my spine. The monastery had certainly been the Italians’ headquarters on the island but, as I discovered that day, not where the Jews had been interned. That dubious honour went to a hotel that had been built in the 1930s as a beacon of modernity, something I would never have found out had I not visited Lopud.

And I can always dream that the book, due out in summer 2023, is an international bestseller so I can afford to go back to Lopud 1493 and stay!

EVA GLYN’S HIDDEN CROATIA: NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND

Posted on by

It is a matter of great debate how many islands Croatia has. Some say over a thousand, and certainly they dot the coast like so many green jewels, set in an azure sea. In practical terms, only around fifty are inhabited although others offer inviting day trip getaways.

Last month we visited Sipan. It’s easily reached from Dubrovnik and its airport – in fact we were in our hotel room less than two hours after our plane landed – so it isn’t remote. But the joy of it is that it feels like it.

At the time of writing there is just one hotel on the island, the other having closed during covid. There is no doubt that Croatia’s economy suffered badly from the lack of tourism. It’s evident in marginal locations especially, with boarded up premises and half-completed building projects. But on Sipan at least construction has restarted and there were two enormous cranes perched above the harbour in Sudarad, the village where we stayed.

Although we were primarily in Croatia for a research trip for my summer 2023 novel, it was the kind of place we’d have chosen for a relaxing holiday. Small and quiet with a couple of narrow shops to buy supplies (despite the dearth of hotels there is plenty of self catering accommodation), and four or five bars and restaurants.

As for beaches, Croatians have rather different views on them. Sand is generally not favoured by the locals (and in truth there is hardly any, although Lopud, the island opposite Sipan, does boast some sandy beaches), pebbles are tolerated, and swimming from rocks – or concrete swimming platforms – is generally preferred. And there are plenty of these in and around Sudarad and the water is crystal clear.

The unseasonable heat limited our desire to wander, but we quickly discovered the best restaurant, Tri Sestre, was next door to the hotel anyway. It was everything I adore about Croatian restaurants; friendly, family run, views to die for from its terrace, well priced local wines and fabulous meals. We mostly ate seafood because it was so fresh and simply prepared, normally with a side of potatoes and chard, which is traditional. At Tri Sestre all the vegetables are grown by the owner – he told us that in summer he gets up at four in the morning to tend them – but the results are definitely worth it. I can quite honestly say I’ve never tasted tomatoes like it, and I grow my own.

Growing things; market gardening, olives and grapes, is the mainstay of Sipan’s economy as it has been for generations, and on a slightly cooler day we did venture out into the countryside. We love Croatian olive oil and wanted to buy some to take home. Just outside the village we found a small producer selling from the terrace of their house. But there was nothing homespun about the oil or the bottle and a great deal of effort had gone into both.

On the opposite side of the road was a wine producer. Agricultural machinery lined the drive and a small sign directed us past the vegetable garden to a table set out under the trees. A woman emerged, having just finished hanging out her washing, and brought two wines for us to taste. No unfamiliar local varieties here, one was cabernet sauvignon and the other merlot, again in some of the smartest bottles we’ve seen. And the contents were of truly international standard too – delicious and meticulously made.

In fact the produce we found in its countryside echoed Sipan itself; high quality and small scale. Definitely a hidden corner of Croatia worth a visit.