Cloaked in vineyards, olives and Aleppo pines, KORČULA is one of the greenest of the Adriatic islands. It is also one of the most popular, thanks largely to the charms of its main settlement, Korčula Town, whose surviving fortifications jut decorously out to sea like the bastions of an overgrown sandcastle. The island has a varied collection of inviting beaches too, with sandy affairs at Lumbarda, 7km away from Korčula Town, secluded pebbly coves on the south coast, and dramatic slabs of rock on the islet of Proizd, just off the port town of Vela Luka.
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Food and drink on Korcula
Food and drink on Korcula
As well as seafood, Korčula excels in lamb and goat. These meats are usually baked under a peka (ember-covered lid) or served, goulash-style, with Žrnovski makaruni, a succulent, hand-rolled, cigar-shaped local pasta. Makaruni are very versatile, and are increasingly served up with all kinds of sauces. Undisputed hotspot for sweet-tooth travellers is a tiny shop in Korčula Town named Cukarin, a cult destination famous for its handmade sweets – notably the croissant-shaped, citrus-flavoured cukarin.
When it comes to wine, Korčula is famed for its indigenous dry whites: Grk only grows in Lumbarda and is produced in small quantities by a handful of local producers. Pošip, cultivated around the central Korčulan villages of Smokvica and Čara, is much more widespread, and crops up in restaurants and wine shops throughout the country.
If the east of the island has wine, western Korčula has olive oil – and lots of it. Most local production is a blend of local strains Lastovka and Drobnica, known for their high antioxidant content and sharp peppery taste. Marko Polo, bottled by the farmers’ cooperative in Blato, is one of the best mid-priced oils in the country, while Torkul oil, produced by the family-run Fanito distillery in Vela Luka, is famous for its smooth but bitter character and is much sought after throughout Croatia.
