corridors are now a maze of boutiques,
cafés, studios and souvenir shops. The
buildings are made from Croatian
limestone—the material of choice for
centuries, as it’s easy to cut and has a
luminous white shade. Often referred
to as the gold standard of building
materials, Croatian limestone was used
extensively in Venice and even to build
the White House.
Moving on from Split the next day,
our coach heads south, bringing us
views of the calm Adriatic Sea. Off in
the distance are the islands of Brac,
Hvar and Vis, popular for summer
vacations and known for olives, lavender, sardines and viticulture, especially
the Plavac Mali grape, a Croatian red
wine varietal.
Passing through the Neretva River
Valley, we stop at a roadside stand for
tastes of the local bounty: oranges,
lemons, figs, almonds and olives.
Sugar-coated orange and lemon peels
and dried fruit make for a satisfying
mid-morning snack as the coach
descends from the mountains back
down to sea level.
Arriving in the village of Mali Ston
on the Peljesac Peninsula, the imposing, five-kilometre-plus Wall of Ston
comes within our sights. Nicknamed
the “European Great Wall,” it was built
by the Dubrovnik Republic that took
control of this area in the 14th century
to protect it from European invaders.
On the water’s edge, the old tower
speaks to the village’s past as part of the
defense of the region’s salt production.
Now this sleepy village attracts tourists
because of its other historic claim to
fame: oysters. European flat oysters
have been farmed in these waters for
more than 700 years. Locals boast that
former Yugoslavian leader Josip Tito
loved the local molluscs; Napoleon
Fruit: Andrew ClellAnd/iStoCk; oySterS: Mel StuArt/getty iMAgeS; boAtS: SAbine lubenow/getty iMAgeS
Mali Ston’s famed oysters, shucked and ready to slurp
Local citrus for sale in the Neretva
River Valley
Bonaparte supposedly indulged as well.
For Pero Sare, owner of the restaurant Bota Sare, this area is home. In
the late 1980s, the Sare family chose
to build their restaurant here—not
just because it’s where they’ve lived for
decades, but also because Mali Ston
is an eco-protected zone, and Sare
wanted to continue the local tradition
of farming oysters. “Because of the wine
and the clean waters offering exceptional seafood, Croatians have always
wanted to come to Mali Ston,” he says.
“In recent years, as tourists discover
what we have to offer, they tell friends »
Mali Ston’s old tower watches
over modern-day vessels
CAA manitoba
Winter 2016
45