The home of Marco Polo
One of most delightful surprises of the Dalmatian Coast is Korčula — the home of Marco Polo.
True. Marco Polo was born in the thirteenth century, back when Venice was a Republic spanning from the canal-filled city to what is now Turkey. No one knows his birthplace for sure, but many historians believe it to be the Croatian island of Korčula. The locals have adopted Marco Polo as their own, and like every destination with one major claim to fame, half the stuff in town is named after him!
In Korčula you can wander around and lose yourself in time strolling the crooked streets, peeking in the pricey jewelry shops and taking photos.
The island is fairly large with lots of private beaches and hidden getaways, but Korčula town is where you’ll find the beautiful buildings, full of flowers and Mediterenian details. The town itself is fairly small and can be walked in less than an hour.
The absolute best thing on Korčula is the looking at the sunset while drinking cocktails.
We wached it from a bar on top of a tower that was once part of the Korčula city walls. The walls today are mostly ruined. After a few flights of stairs, you climb a ladder to get to very top — and are rewarded with an absolutely scintillating view of Korčula and the surrounding islands in the Adriatic!
Eventually, the sun sank behind a nearby mountain, leaving an orange and blue sky streaked with pink and navy clouds. I can say now that that is probably one of the best views I can ever hope to have. The evening was beautiful and unforgettable, and it was the perfect way to end our lovely day on Marco Polo’s island.
