Hvar Island Part IV: Overly-touristy Hvar Town and a Franciscan Monastery

Hvar Town, or Pharos as the Greeks named it, was the central hub for the island - as we soon discovered. Once a port town central to trade in the Adriatic, this slowly changed over time to as it became an early tourist destination, its popularity dating back to the 1800s. Although the water front was swarming with tourists, once you climbed the backstreets up the hill to the back of the town, the little alleyways were quiet and charming, and steeped in history. 

What I found strange is the proximity of the bustling tourist side to the quiet backstreets and crumbling ruins of old houses. It was an interesting juxtaposition, and I'm sure you can guess which I preferred exploring. 

The waterfront was interesting in its own way however, and certainly should not be dismissed. Perhaps an early morning walk before the tourists arrive would restore some of its charm. 

We did find by walking along the waterfront a way (passing all the sunbathing tourists in their expensive rented reclining chairs) a Franciscan Monastery and adjoining church of Our Lady of Mercy (clearly far less interesting than working on tans or eating subpar ice-cream as all the other tourists were doing - the place was almost empty!) A grand old building dating to the 15th century, it was very peaceful and dim- a stark contrast to the bustling and hot outside world.

As almost the only people in there, we wandered as we wanted, taking photos here and there. It was built in a rather old and interesting style, all white stone and carved, very different from the French and Italian style buildings. It reminded me of something from a King Arthur story. The courtyard at the back was also memorable, containing an ancient and weathered Cyprus tree said to be over 300 years old. Its great branches were held up by supports and through the leaves you could catch glimpses of the shimmering blue sea.

There was also a small but interesting archaeological collection, mainly made up of amphorae found on sunken galleys from around the area. There's something special about seeing artifacts that have lain out of human sight at the bottom of the ocean for over a thousand years.

Running out of time, we then made our way to take the ferry back to the mainland (alas!). 

I can safely say I will be missing Croatia's islands for a long time to come.