Croatia offers many beautiful views throug the entire country: from the hillside of Zagorje to the cliffs of Dugi Otok and panorama of Dubrovnik… But one of the most memorable for me was the view of Smokvica town on Korcula Island. Typical Dalmatian towns and villages are always located on the slopes so the fertile land is used to the maximum – tradition often forgotten in the modern days…
It was about Noon when we were passing through the town this past October so very few people were on the streets. The smell of soup was strong when walking through the stone streets since it was lunch time and people were resting before continuing with work in their cellars.
Smokvica is famous as one of the best positions of pošip and rukatac grapes in this part of Dalmatia!
Smokvica has only about 1000 inhabitants now (including the village of Brna in the nearby bay) and most of the people work in the vineyards. The town is located some 30 Km from Korčula town and can be easily reached even by a bike since the road does not have too many ups and downs (except when exiting Korčula town).
Cycling through the wine yards is definitely fun! And you can cycle as far as the beaches at Brna…
Although the village is dating from the Illyrian times (cc 2000 BC) the first mention of the parish was in 1361. Today, the town of Smokvica is still dominated by the Parish of the Madonna of Kandalor – the patron saint of the town. The building of the church began in 1902 and it was consecrated in 1920.
The history of Smokvica was rarely a story of easy life but there were even moments of complete devastation: in the middle of a sunny summer day on the 10th of June 1715., 260 Turkish pirates disembarked from two galleys at nearby Brna; they plundered the area and even set houses on fire in Smokvica. When they set on fire the house of the parish priest, don Marko Bon of Zrnovo, fought them, killing two of the Turks. The pirates took him in chains to Ulcinj, Montenegro – an infamous Turkish port at the time – where he was sold a slave. His relatives managed to buy him back two years later.
Smokvica is a sleepy town today preserving the best of the Mediterranean: good wine and food, slow pace of life, after lunch nap :))))
The town is simply a must when on Korčula Island at least to buy a bottle of superb pošip or rakija.
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