Spotlight on Korcula, Croatia

The Croatian island of Korcula is located in the Adriatic Sea. It’s quite a small island, around thirty miles long and five miles wide. You can get to Korcula by ferry from either Split, Zadar or Dubrovnik.

The ancient Greeks who came to the island in the 6th century BC called it Melani Kerkira (Black Corfu), because there were so many trees covering the whole island. It’s still one of the greenest islands in the Adriatic.

The island’s main town is also called Korcula. It’s nicknamed Little Dubrovnik as it’s a smaller walled town than it’s counterpart on the mainland. The defensive walls were originally built in the 13th century by the Venetians and the eight towers were added in the 15th century.

It’s thought that the explorer Marco Polo was born on Korcula in the mid 13th century and his birthplace is now a museum. The Croatian writer and poet Petar Kanavelic lived and worked on the island in the 17th century.

The 15th century St Marks’ Cathedral is a testament to the craftsmanship of local stonemasons.

You can buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the Rotonda Market.

There are many beaches (sandy and pebbly) around the island. The most popular sandy beach is Vela Przina in the village of Lumbarda, which can be reached in around fifteen minutes by bus from Korcula town.

Photo credits: Robin, Pierre Mounier, anjci

Karen Bryan is the founding editor of the UK based, multi author Europe a la Carte Blog which features Europe travel tips about the best places to visit in Europe.