“The Mediterranean has the color of mackerel, changeable I mean. You don't always know if it is green or violet, you can't even say it's blue, because the next moment the changing reflection has taken on a tint of rose or gray.” Vincent Van Gogh
CROATIA and the KORNATI ARCHIPELAGO “On the last day of creation God wished to crown and make the Kornati Islands out of his tears, the stars and his breath.”G.B.Shaw
Croatia is all too often called the best kept secret. At the heart of this secret are its coast and islands. At the centre of the Croatian side of the Adriatic, parallel to the coastline, lies the archipelago of Kornati.
This unique formation consists of 148 islands and islets, many of which have been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Where else in the world, by stepping off a ferry, could you transport yourself into what once was a part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires and of the Venetian Republic?
These peoples of the Adriatic Sea, along with Illyrian tribes, ancient Slavs, crusaders, English pirates, and Napoleonic armies have at one moment of history or another claimed or sought refuge on Kornati. Today, a good part of the archipelago is a national park. Just outside the boundaries of that park is the island of Iz.
Veli Iz
THE ISLANDOF IZ See there the olive grove of Academe, Plato's retirement, where the Attic bird Trills her thick-warbled notes the summer long. John Milton, Paradise Regained (bk. IV, l. 244) The Island of Iz (pronounced Ish) is one of sixty-five islands of central Dalmatia in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. This very small island ( roughly 18 km2) is 14 miles away from Zadar and is well connected by both ship and ferryboat lines. The landscape of Iz is a charming mixture of pine and olive groves (more than 17,000 carefully grown olive trees), fig trees and vineyards, lovely bays and stone beaches. The sea is clean and clear, wonderfully blue in colour and rich in sea flora and fauna -- a real paradise for sea sports fans and nature lovers. Even dolphins are very frequent visitors here and often seen from the beaches. The people of Iz planted olives, grapes and figs as their main agriculture in terraces surrounded by stone walls, which kept the precious soil from being washed away. The sea and the climate determined the basic orientation of its inhabitants: agriculture, fishing and sheep breeding. Historically the cultural scheme has been gradually incorporating Illyric, Roman, Slavic, Byzantine, ancient Catholic and finally Croatian elements.Shipbuilding, trade and navigation had tremendous influence on the traditional fishing economy (documented as early as the 15th century). Lots of families specialized in various crafts such as pottery, weaving and carpentry. A unique phenomenon is the pottery of Veli Iz (Big Iz), which was the sole centre of pottery in Dalmatia as early as 1530, and has supplied a large part of the Adriatic coast with clay pots for cooking and storing ever since.
Croatian Beach
In the 16th century the pottery was made of local island clay mixed with the mineral calcite.Structures of similar composition that date from over 2000 years ago have been found among archeological remains on the island. However, it was olive oil that was the most important product of Iz:used in the local diet and as medicine, burned to provide light, and bartered in trading.
ACCOMMODATION
Under the Mediterranean sun, surrounded by pine and olive groves, life is simple but rich. Olive Grove Retreats offer you simplicity, the exceptional beauty of the surroundings, and soul-inspiring activities.
Our facility and our accommodation at the Hotel Korinjak (pronounced Coreeneak), named after the highest hill on the island, is in the tradition of retreat-style accommodation: simple, surrounded by pine trees and the beach, without the distractions of the big city.
