Is it the beginning of the end of Dalmatian culture as we know it?
Two endearing - and indelible - images of the traditional Dalmatian way of life have always been associated with the male Dalmatian species - the sport of balote, and sitting on The Bench.
But are things about to change?
It looks like they already are in Stari Grad, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and claimed by some as the oldest town in Croatia. A town which knows a thing or two about heritage and tradition. And yet...
A wonderful and somewhat different sight can be enjoyed these days with the formation of the first female balote club, a group of dynamic ladies now practising for their first tournament. We wish them well and will be following their progress. Photo and some great initiatives from a citizen's initiative 'For our Children'.
Dalmatian purists may be shaking their heads at this departure and tradition, but the bigger question surely looms for Dalmatia: what is next in the world of gender equality - a female presence on The Bench?
