LASTOVO

A little more than 20 years ago Lastovo was off limits to foreigners because it was a military base. It’s hard to see why. With a wonderful 15th and 16th century architecture, incredibly lush forests (almost 70% of the island), 10,000 olive trees, gorgeous bays (the sea temperature in summer is almost 80 degrees) and little more than 1000 inhabitants, it must have been heaven to be stationed here!  Lastovo is an out island--way out, more than four hours by ferry from Split, which makes stops at Hvar and Korcula (only an hour and twenty minutes from Korcula, but then you need to get to Korcula from Dubrovnik!).  The island itself is actually one of 44 islands in the Lastovo Archipelago.  In 2006, the government made it a Croatian Nature Park. Despite its small size, 9 km long by a bit more than 5 km wide, there are more than 40 lchurches on Lastovo and even more vineyards!  The major cultural event is the Poklade, a carnival in February that some feel even outdoes the one in Rijeka. The other is a jazz festival in July that in 2009 will celebrate its 10th anniversary.  Like many out islands, Lastovo is ancient, going back to even Neolithic times.  There are a lot of caves on the island that have been explored and archeologists are keenly interested in learning more.  The Renaissance architecture here is unique.  The best preserved houses, with high broad terraces, have odd cylindrical chimneys (a symbol of wealth) that resemble small scale minarets. For naturalists, divers and those who love the wild, remote beauty of islands with steep sloping coastlines surrounded by the deep blue sea, Lastovo is heaven.

Tourist office