Dalmatia - Sibenik

Set amid the wild beauty of white karstic rock and the azure sea, the Šibenik aquatorium is a yachting paradise, boasting as many as 240 isles and reefs, each of which holds an interesting feature or two. If you want to meet the best known coral hunters in the Adriatic, set sail for Zlarin. If you wish to see the centre of sea sponge harvesting, then Krapanj is your destination. On the other hand, if you seek an experience like no other, then venture into the open sea and discover the Kornati Archipelago.

Two national parks with only 50km between them could not be more different. The Kornati National Park is an archipelago of 89 islands, isles and reefs (numbering in total 152 units) of incomparable beauty which offers the boaters the pleasure of sailing, the formidable sheer cliffs filling them with delight and awe in the same breath. Enchanted with their striking beauty, the famous writer George Bernard Shaw wrote one of the best descriptions of the Kornati: “On the last Day of Creation God wished to crown his work and he created Kornati out of tears, stars and breath”. In contrast, the Krka National Park is full of travertine barriers, waterfalls and lakes the wondrousness of which take one’s breath away. Indeed, they are regarded as one of the favourite tourist picture postcards from Croatia.

Heritage

Do you know that the inventor of the parachute, Faust Vrančić, was born in Šibenik? Unique because of its fortresses and towers such as Sv. Mihovil [St. Mihovil], Sv. Nikola  [St. Nicholas], Sv. Ivan [St. John] and Šubićevac, Šibenik is most famous for the cathedral of Sv. Jakov [St. Jacob] that was built in the 15th century. Constructed by the masterful hands of Juraj Dalmatinac and Nikola Firentinac, and because of its original architecture of large stone slabs, this cathedral was entered on the UNESCO list of world heritage and voted at the same time to be most beautiful sacral building in Croatia. Not far from Šibenik, hidden between two of the most beautiful waterfalls of the river Krka, there are two buildings that are almost as famous: the orthodox monastery of Sv. Arhanđela [St. Archangel] and the Franciscan monastery on the island of Visovac with a rich treasury of art, books and a variety of other valuables.

Gastronomy

Start with a morsel of cheese ripened in a lamb sack and Drniš prosciutto washed down with a glass of red wine from Primosten's Babić. For the main dish, asides from a rich fish menu that ranges from small sardines to slices of fresh tuna on the grill, you should not miss out on the so-called “Skradinski Kumbasice” [Skradin sausages] and the famous “Soparnjak”. Made from a simple pastry filled with a mixture of olives, figs and olive oil, the cooked and rolled Soparnik is served and eaten cold. For pudding asides from dry figs, jujube and cakes made from almonds, you can try some cake from Skradin.