A look at the other side of Hvar Town's nightlife on July 19, 2017 - the Hvar Summer Festival in the delightful Franciscan Monastery cloister.
"It is nice to finally meet you. I have been reading your blog for some time, and you even wrote a blog about my house!"
It never ceases to amaze me, the connections that Total Hvar has made for me over the years, and here I was in the cloister of the gorgeous Franciscan monastery in Hvar Town, thanking a musician I had never met before not only for a great performance, but also for the invitation to last night's Brahms and Mozart rendition at the monastery, the latest concert in the 56th Hvar Summer Festival.
Yes, 56 years, that is how long the cultural summer festival has been going, dating back even further than the arrival of that great Hvar cultural icon, Dagmar Meneghello.
And while other parts of the Hvar nightlife scene make more noise and international column inches, the Hvar Summer Festival has a long tradition of bringing a rich selection of national and international talent to perform in some of Hvar Town's most picturesque settings, of which the Franciscan monastery is one of the firm favourites. We decided to avoid the main square and experience Hvar Town from a different angle, parking close to the petrol station at Krizna Luka and walking in from the west of the town.
Idyllic.
A glance towards Hvar Town's exclusive (and soon to be lengthened waterfront) revealed a peak season in full swing, but our destination stopped short before that, and was altogether more tranquil.
The monastery recently celebrated its 550th birthday, and is one of the island's most historic buildings, as well as an excellent concert venue, with great acoustics in the cloister.
What made the evening all the more special was the strong bond of love the five outstanding musicians had for the island. As I wrote in yesterday's blog, all have a long-standing association with the island, and it clearly meant a great deal to all five to be performing in one of the island's premier cultural spots.
An excerpt from the concert in the video below.
To follow the original Hvar nightlife in more detail, and to catch some of the highlights of the rest of the 56th Hvar Summer Festival, follow the festival on Facebook.
