70°F | , Split, Croatia Vis
The island of Vis is a true beauty placed relatively far from the coast. The island has a rich history, as it was first inhabited already by ancient Illyrians back in Neolithic times. In the old Greek times, it was a powerful city-state with its own colonies on the neighboring island Korčula as well as on the mainland around Trogir. Being isolated and in front of the mainland Vis became an important outpost for military forces of the 19th and the 20th century. The distance enabled it to remain unique. In fact, this island has been purposely isolated from society up until the 1990s. Under communist rule, Vis represented a base for commanders and the Yugoslavian fleet. The rest of the Adriatic coast has been occupied by Germans in the period of the Second World War. Therefore, the Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman Tito, took advantage of this isolated beauty to attack the mainland. The circumstances disabled Vis to follow other islands in the sudden development of tourism. Consequently, Vis is free of giant hotels built in the time of socialism. In fact, Vis remained protected from the wild urbanization even nowadays.
The main island municipalities are Vis and Komiža – representing irreplaceable counterbalance. The town of Vis is more posh, rich in excellent architecture, which was highly influenced by across the sea Italy. Komiža is a traditional fishermen’s settlement spreading around pictures by the sea promenade, called “Riva”. Rows of stone houses are placed right on the beach. The city port is full of small wooden fishermen’s boats. The highly romantic scenery brought Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth on the island in 2017 to film the famous Mamma Mia movie.
Locals were traditionally occupied as seamen and fishermen. Today Vis represents escape point for those fed up with urban wilderness. Therefore, Vis represents the hideaway for bohemians wanting to find their unique peace. The freethinkers organize tours around the island. The military tour takes you around army objects scattered around the island. The tour guide will take you to the places with the view as well as explain you all about the rich history. The final touch is usually some “Peka”, traditional Dalmatian lamb dish in the wilderness of the inside of the island. The nature lovers will choose to visit the Stiniva beach on Vis or the world-famous Blue Cave. This water-logged sea cave is located in a small bay called Balun on the island of Biševo.
