British Guardian on the set of Mamma Mia2 – the Island of VIS
“This tiny Croatian island gets star billing the Mamma Mia sequel. And, with beautiful beaches, 17th-century architecture and great seafood restaurants, it’s easy to see why”
Thinking out loud about what I would like to show to my guests by presenting the true and real Dalmatia I easily to an idea that it must be this gorgeous, tiny island that has it all. Vis. Only two hours and fifteen minuets from Split by comfortable ferry or an hour and fifteen by fast catamaran its a genuine presentation of a real life in Dalmatia. Crystal clear sea, picturesque stone houses, narrow Mediterranean streets, wild growing plants and herbs on which the island attracts you on a first site by its scents and unspoiled nature. The best of it all is the fact that its still non-commercial, not fully discovered and almost untouched.
What I love the most about Vis are its inviting beaches, splashed by this transparent Adriatic Blue sea that seems as it whispers to jump in. We do hope that those intimate, mostly pebble beaches of ours will remain un-spoiled and not over-crowded as long as it takes to preserve this beauty of the “Mediterranean as it once was”.
The second best when it comes to Vis is its offer of the small traditional Konoba`s (read – Trattoria`s or Tavern`s) with its exquisite menus of sea food and the rest of the local treats.
And the last but not least are those tiny, picturesque corners and alleys typical for almost every Dalmatian island. Could not be described in few sentences. Just have to. stroll through stone paved streets of Komiza or Vis town and you`ll find beautiful surprising angles of limestone made houses in which grows at least one typical plant or a flower that makes your perspective painted in colours, joyful and stunning.
Here it is what else the `Guardian` has to say about Vis:
`Despite its low-key vibe, Vis has enough sights, including an archaeological museum and churches, to avoid beach-centred boredom. Above all, on neighbouring Biševo island, a series of caves have pools of iridescent blue light (which feature in the film), thanks to a shaft of sunlight meeting pure white sand on the seafloor. There’s an action side to Vis, too: the harbours are lined with every type of boat, from excursion vessels to sailing boats and Ribs. Cycling is big here, so is exploring a network of tunnels built by the Yugoslav army, alongside abseiling and diving – wrecks include a B-17 from the Second World War.
Vis is getting smarter though. Fort George (fortgeorgecroatia.com), a British legacy of the Napoleonic Wars high on the hill just north of Vis town, is now an upmarket party venue. The super yacht set are beginning to circle, too. Last year David Guetta held a yacht-hopping party (Guetta DJ-ed, naturally) just offshore near the Blue Cave.
There’s also a pragmatism on Vis that possibly comes with the territory. This is an island that has been scrapped over and requisitioned on a regular basis – the Greeks brought wine and, a bit later, the Romans did their usual baths and logistic input. The Venetians left their mark with architecture and food while the British and French both occupied it during the Napoleonic wars. Later on, the Austro-Hungarians added some fine roads with Tyrolean-style bollards and a sense of efficiency that still pervades today, according to Siniša, a geography teacher at Vis’s only secondary school and who offered to show me around.
“Somebody asked me how delayed ferries were. I had to tell him that this was Croatia and they leave on time,” he told me.`
To conclude – Vis, one of my favourite Dalmatian islands, still standing un-spoiled, wild, almost un-touched by the large hotel chains investments and therefor a perfect oasis for all of you that appreciate beauty, but yet have the exploring spirit to scratch under the surface.