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…

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…

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…

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…

Vrljika River spring

The forecast was for a gorgeous weekend so our small team of amateur-explorers/historians decided to head to Imotski region to meet with my friend Domagoj and learn more on mysteries of Imotski region and the lakes. The spring is here and staying at home is not an option any longer. Imotski is always beautiful and…

Nakovana – ghost village

I enjoy ruins, ghost towns, abandoned places and everything historic. Imagine my excitement when I first entered Nakovana! Last Saturday I was visiting my new friends in Trpanj (Raguz family) and they took me to a very special place that does not get that many visitors: abandoned village of Nakovana deep in the hillside of…

Archaeology tour of North Dalmatia

North Dalmatia offers a wealth of truly spectacular archaeological sites mostly unknown to the general public. From the immense riches of thousands of years of continuous living on Bribirska glavica hill, to mysterious rock on top of Ostrovica and all the way to Vrana, in less than 50 km! Without even mentioning at least 5…

Spring of Zrmanja river

… continuing from previous post on Una River spring So after the picnic, we continued down the Gračac – Knin road to the village of Zrmanja Vrelo clearly indicating that spring of Zrmanja river is nearby. Since my “obsession” with visiting all the springs – and tasting water at the very spring – of all…

Pictures of old Šibenik

Yes, there are beautiful, old cities and towns lined along the coast of Croatia and many of them are quite unique and very memorable. But, although Trogir, Split, Hvar, Dubrovnik…attract a lot of travelers these days, my personal favorite is Šibenik. There is simply something about Šibenik. No matter if it is the historic charm…

Winter hiking in Dalmatia – (archaeology hike)

Sunny winter days are great for getting outside and enjoying nature and various historic sites. Basically, I am not interested in beautiful nature if there are no ruins. I love all sorts of historic sites and, luckily, there are more than plenty of them around where I live and many of them that I am…

Sveti Roko, Rogovo

My favorite fešta! Although my family celebrates Gospa od Karmela and Sv. Andrija (to much lesser extent), Sv. Roko was always the favorite of us while we were kids. It was maybe for all the toys being sold on that day, maybe because we did not get to go there on other days…who knows. But…

Novigrad in Dalmatia

There are places that keep you returning to and you can hardly ever guess what the reason is. Novigrad, on the shores of Novigrad sea is one of those places. Is it for the iconic view from the road above it? Maybe the maze of narrow streets and old traditional houses or  the history of…

Triple barrel cannon by Leonardo Da Vinci. In Benkovac?

I love when I find or just hear about something quite rare. Although it will be in the news soon – as the exhibition on Klicevica opens tomorrow – this is a fairly first report on this interesting triple barrel cannon. I first heard about this canon few months back while hanging out with my…