The brand new item in my collection is the famous and very sought after PANORAMA della Costa e delle Isole di DALMAZIA from 1850 done for Austrian Loyd.
Tag: Antiques
The hilltop fortress of Lišane
The hilltop fortress of Lišane is an ancient hilltop fortress near the village of Lišane Ostrovačke in Ravni Kotari region
Skradin Photo Album – 1900
It’s not often that one comes across a 115 years old photo album of Dalmatia. I am sure that there are few still forgotten in some attics, old family houses… and I hope someone will recognize the beauty and value of those fading images. Recently, I stumbled upon a beautiful photo album dating back to…
Dolmen in Dalmatia?
I get to cross a lot of territory when traveling. It still amazes me how there are still so many beautiful places to see and things to discover in this little country of ours. Yesterday, I was doing an inspection in Tugare: a tiny village in the hillside of Omiš best known for Tugarke cherries. The entire…
Kastel Gomilica – Faded gem of the past
Kastela are not often part of my visits. Once a beautiful part of the coast (if not the most beautiful), now is simply a mess of modern construction, 50 years of socialist industrial “planning” and 25 years of not doing anything… or at least anything good. So, even the 7 lovely historic towns definitely deserve…
Winter wanderings – Nunic in Bukovica
Winter is not the best time for exploring and winter walks. The weather has been rainy and fairly cold (folks from Canada, please do not laugh at our cold) but that should not stop anyone from at least a stroll by the sea or an easy hike. I like to explore the Dalmatian hinterland. Without…
Museum of Croatian Independence war in Turanj
In the grim and cloudy winter days I occasionally remember the war of the 90s. The shelling, the times without the electricity, listening to the news on the radio in the basement… One of the places mentioned the most was Turanj. Of the same name as the town where I was born in, this other Turanj,…
Underwater archaeology in Croatia (with Secret Dalmatia)
Over a year ago, I was talking to my good friend Mato Ilkić, an archaeologist with Zadar University and authority on antique coins and underwater archaeology, how there is so much to discover and not enough funds. With our economy in gutter, archaeology gets only peanuts… There are excavations of course, but very limited. It…
Hercules of Brac – in search of ancient quarries
Few weeks back, a friend of mine organized a group to go to Brac Island and learn more on the Roman quarries of Brac. The group was led by an authority on Roman quarries, Dr. Mate Parica who is THE person to go to if interested in ancient quarries. Not only that he has seen the…
Dalmatian pyramid
No, this is not a new discovery in line with “Bosnian pyramids”. This is just a possible explanation of a mysterious pyramid first drawn on a 1570 map that was based on an older map by Šibenik native Martin Kolunic Rota who one of the most significant graphic artists of the second half of the…
Karst, megaliths, mysteries…or not?
This mild winter, when it is not raining, is perfect for exploring the region and for hiking, walking and all sorts of activities outdoors. I have a list of places that I plan to visit – both historic and natural – that is ever-expanding as I keep discovering new spots. There are about 60 of…
History underground
Just recently I have found out about a very interesting find in a small cave in Dalmatian Zagora. The authority on caving in Dalmatia (and Croatia in general), Mr. Tonci Radja told me about his inspection of a small cave few months back. He was originally working on the massive highway construction back in the…
Aman Sveti Stefan
For the past few months we have been very, very busy and almost no time for blogging. Not that I don’t have to blog about! Au contraire! I have dozens and dozens of most fabulous stories! But almost no time to write 🙁 One of the highlights was definitely a fam trip to Montenegro coast…
Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria
I love maritime museums. A year ago I was in Pula and had some time on my own so I decided to visit their maritime museum. Pula was the most important military naval base of Austro-Hungary and that is my favorite part of naval history: late 19th century and WWI. Since 1961, founded as the…
297. Sinjska Alka 2012 – The Alka of Sinj Tournament
One of the most interesting events in all of Croatia is Alka of Sinj Tournament. The Sinjska alka is an equestrian competition/tournament held every first Sunday in the month of August in town of Sinj, hinterland of Split. The tournament has been held for continuous 297 times since 1715 commemorating the victory over Ottoman Turkish…