Discover Brač island

Milna – Valle di mille navi

The small town of Milna lies on the west side from Bol town. Long ago Italians called this small town “Valle di mille navi” which means a bay with thousands of boats. Milna was a port for merchant ships during the construction of Diocletian’s Palace in Split and yet to this day it has the function of the largest, most protected and most beautiful harbour on Brac.

Besides being an important nautical destination, Milna features four big pebble beaches – Osibova, Maslinova, Pasikova and Lucice beach. Two beaches lie in the town of Milna and the other two in the close vicinity. The beaches are surrounded with pine trees, which again provide the necessary shade in hot summer days.

Cultural sites on Milna, the baroque style Church of Our Lay of Annunciation, built in 1783. The church situated on the waterfront in the center of Milna has a church organ built by the Callido brothers from Italy in 1822.

In the charming Osibova Bay lies the church of St. Joseph from the 18^th century with St. John’s Chapel from the 14^th century. Enjoy the stunning view of the island of Hvar and Vis from this secluded bay.

Relax on Milna’s waterfront drinking your morning coffee with breakfast. After a day or so, the waiter will already know your name and your order without even asking. The friendly locals at this slow paced town welcome newcomers treating them as their own. For those coming back year after year, they definitely feel like family. This feeling is not as common in the top tourist destinations such as Bol or Supetar as it is in the small hidden gems of Brač.

Admire the miraculous Bonsai tree

Guess why the 600 year old church of St. Peter and Paul in the center of Nerežišća has been photographed almost as much as the famous Golden Horn beach? A miraculous bonsai tree grows on the roof of the church! You may wonder what is so miraculous about a bonsai tree. First, no one knows for sure how it got there, the locals assume its seed was blown on the roof or left by a bird. The church was built in 1413 and the oldest residents of the village believe the tree is 120 years old.

Another mystery to the locals is how the tree managed to survive all these years in unfavourable conditions. The high temperatures during the summers and the rocky roof of the church do not provide enough water leaving the people to believe it has extended its roots to the ground although there are no visible indications.

As it is specifically grows in higher altitudes, this tiny black tree is growing at it’s minimal possible altitude. It was declared a natural monument in 1969 and is one of the few types of natural bonsai trees in the world. The mystery of its origin, how it survives and how old it really is, as far as we know, will stay as a mystery.

Pustinja Blaca (Hermitage Blaca) visited by many tourists and locals is the most popular hermitage on Bol. As a significant part of the history of Brač, it’s not only famous for its cave monastery but also for its amazing cove surrounded by a dense pine forest and a beautiful beach deep in the cove. The monastery consists of a church, commercial building, printery, school, observatory and library. At present, Pustinja Blaca is a museum with its library featuring over 11.000 books and the third biggest telescope in Croatia. There’s no better place on the island of Brač to observe the stars and space.

If you speak Croatian, it won’t be of much help on Brač!

Even if you are familiar with the Croatian language that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be useful and that you will understand the locals when on Brač. Just like most of the other islands in Croatia, each with it’s specific dialect, the island of Brač has more than 10 different dialects sometimes even difficult for Croatians to understand them. As tourism has developed and English is studied at school, the majority speak English making it easier to correspond with visitors.