Croatia - Eastern Europe - page 159

5-7pm) in the east and a small harbor in the west. The square is lined with restau-
rants, cafes, and galleries, and a 16th-century well sits in the center of the paved
space, which was redone in the late 18th century.
The Venetian Loggia has suffered several insults to its historical pedigree: It
was damaged by the Turks in 1571, repaired, then used as a cafe from the late 19th
century to as recently as the early 1970s. The adjacent clock tower was built in the
19th century on the site of a ducal palace that was destroyed in the same assault that
damaged the loggia.
The 15th-century Franciscan Monastery is south of the town center along the
path skirting the sea . Enter through a cloister, where concerts are held every 2 days
during the season. There is also a nice museum with a collection of sacral art and an
idyllic garden with a view of the sea. Open daily in summer 10am to noon and 5 to
7pm; winter daily 10am to noon. Performance times and prices vary. The adjacent
church, Our Lady of Mercy, also dates from the 15th century ( & 021/741-123;
10kn/$1.75/90p). The 16th-century Fortress (Fortica) that overlooks the town
offers a sweeping view of Hvar Town's rooftops and its harbor. Inside is a spooky dun-
geon, displays of amphorae, and a small cafe on the roof (north of Hvar Town center;
& 021/741-816; admission 10kn ($1.75/90p). Summer daily 8am to midnight; by
appointment only in winter.
Note: The walk up to the fortress is a challenging trek during the day, but at night
it can be treacherous because the steps/path leading to the site are not lighted.
Beaches
Hvar Town has both a public pebble beach and a slab beach west of the center that
are usually crowded with sunbathers from the nearby package Hotel Amfora. There
are also a few small patches of pebbles below the Franciscan church, and lots of flat
rocks and concrete slabs at other seaside spots. If you want privacy, for a mere 10kn
($1.75/95p), you can hop a taxi boat to nearby Pakleni Otoci, a cluster of pine-
forested, uninhabited islands whose coastlines are alternately rimmed with rocks and
little pebble beaches.
Watersports
Southern Dalmatia is home to some of the best conditions in Europe for windsurfing,
kite boarding, jet-skiing, sailing, diving, and swimming. At the Viking Diving Cen-
ter next to the Podstine Hotel ( & 021/742-529 ) you can rent equipment, get instruc-
tion, and even book rooms. Cost of single dive is 220kn ($38/£20), a package of 5
days and 10 dives 1,720kn ($300/£157), or a full-day trip with cave diving 490kn
($85/£45). Equipment rental is extra. Dive Center Hvar near Hotel Amfora ( & 021/
741-503 ) runs trips to the island of Vis, which recently has become the darling of
extreme-sports enthusiasts. DCH also supports other watersports such as water-skiing,
Lavender Blues
Hvar is sometimes known as “Lavender Island” because the graceful plant with
a hypnotic fragrance once grew in profusion all over the place. Lavender is a
native of Hvar's dry Mediterranean climate, and tourist hype says the whole
island is enveloped in a cloud of scent in the spring. That may be so, but in July
2006, the only lavender plants we saw were either dried in situ by the blister-
ing sun or in sachets sold at kiosks on the Riva.