VIA BRATTIA tells the truly amazing story of Island Brač. It starts in Supetar, where you can walk through the streets where the famous sculptor Ivan Rendić, the father of modern Croatian sculpture, used to walk. A memorial collection of the artist’s sculptures, and drawings, is at the end of the harbour. Rendić was known by the locals as Škultur juvanin, the first Croatian bourgeois sculptor who paved the way towards modern sculpture. Hiking 4 kilometers, Supetar to the village of Škrip, we’ll come across the 6th-7th century early Christian church of Sveti Jadre (St. Andrew) Once in Škrip you’ll be immersed in the history and stories of the Illyrians, Romans, and Renaissance noblemen. Škrip is the most important archeological site on Brač and perhaps in all of Croatia! Nowhere can be found so many remnants of many cultures in such a small area. In Škrip, a visit to the famous Olive Oil Museum is a must! We’ll hear all about how olive oil was produced in the past compared to the present, plus we’ll enjoy a delicious tasting of extra virgin olive oil and a superb lunch served with local wines. (always a highlight). After lunch we’ll continue on our way, walking to Pučišća via Postira, but not before finding the first Via Brattia stamp located in Škrip! Pučišća is known as a pure hidden gem, so pristine, and tucked away in a seaside inlet. A town made of the white limestone of Brač. Nearby is the Veselje stone quarry, easily recognisable from the mainland. In the past, this was a harbour of towers, built-in defence of the marauding pirates of Omiš, and although most towers no longer exist, the fortified mansion of the Žuvetić family remains on the seafront, a fine example of what used to be. Pučišća is well known for its School of Stone Masonry, which opened over 100 Years ago. In this town, everything is linked to stone. We’ll visit the school and meet some of the budding Michelangelos! The white stone of Brač is well known throughout Europe and further afield. Most of the quarries were around the small town of seaside Splitska. From here the stone was extracted and shipped across to the mainland during the building of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace in 305 AD in Split. During the Renaissance period, stone for mansions and villas in Dalmatia and Italy came from here. Parliament House in Budapest and the White House in Washington DC are both partially built of Brač stone. 

During the 15th and 16th centuries, there was a great deal of fighting between the Turks and the Venetians for the control of the mainland between Split and Omiš, causing priests and laypeople to flee across the channel to Island Brač. Some were taken into Island parishes, while others sought refuge in the caves on the southern shore of the island, and this is where we find the Blaca Hermitage. The first two priests, Juraj and Pavao Silvio, arrived here in 1450, carving motifs into the stone from St. John’s apocalyptic vision in the last book of the New Testament. Other hermitages sprung up, existing until the early 20th century. The trail passes by the Zmaljeva Cave Hermitage on the way up to Blaca Hermitage and from here we’ll be driven to Smrka Bay for a well-deserved and delicious Peka lunch. (Brač lambed roasted slowly under the iron bell, with all the trimmings).

Our last evening on Island Brač will be spent in Milna on the Western shores. A medium-sized village that flourished in the time of sailing ships. It was the main port on the island, in a very long and sheltered bay. With the decline of sailing ships, many inhabitants of Milna immigrated to Chile and other South American countries. In the 20th century, nautical tourism became increasingly popular and today we find a very busy yachting marina.

On our final day on Island Brač, we’ll walk the trail by the sea through pinewood and olive groves between Milna, Ložišća, Bobovišća, and Sutivan, collecting our final Via Brattia stamp at the little Church of St. Martin, high on a hill overlooking Sutivan with magnificent views of Split and the magnificent mountain range of Mosor across the channel on the mainland. Late lunch in Supetar at Restaurants Punta, Vinotoka, or Palute is highly recommended. From here we’ll take the local ferry back to Split, the capital of Central Dalmatia.

Your accommodation in Split is in the Old Town Centre area of the city, 2 minutes to the Split Riva, the walkway by the harbour, and to Diocletian’s Palace, the heart and soul of Split. On the last day of the tour, we’ll take you on a guided walk through the old town and palace area, including the underground palace cellars, the Cathedral of St. Dominus, patron saint of Split, The cathedral was originally built by Emperor Diocletian as his resting place, his Mausoleum, however, being a Roman persecutor of early Christians, his body was disposed of to a place unknown by followers of Christ, and the mausoleum was transformed into the Cathedral of Split. Various eras have come and gone, each leaving its own touch on the interior works of art, sculpture, and magnificent stonemasonry designs. You will appreciate this fact even more so after spending time on Island Brač from where the stone was transported all those centuries ago. We’ll visit the Split green market, and the fish market, and finally making our way through the narrow cobbled streets we’ll get to know more about past and present lifestyles in this atmospheric city.

This evening, our tour will draw to a close with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant which is a favourite with many locals and visitors alike, followed by a walk through Old Split by night.

Departure Day… A transfer to the Split airport will be arranged for the group. We hope you will have enjoyed this journey of discovery, exploring the Island of Brač, and learning about the way of life of its people in the past and in the present, its flora and fauna, history, culture, resilience, and zest for life