April 29, 2019 - While Korcula has many excellent dining options, the short and regular boat connections to the Peljesac Peninsula give plenty of others. An evening at homely Konoba Karako in Orebic.

Often it is only when you spend a little time in a destination that you realise the subtleties that are not immediately obvious on first arrival. 

Having lived on Hvar for 13 years, I was always a little jealous of Brac, which had SO much better ferry connectivity, especially during the winter. But then I spared a thought for Korcula, which had much worse connections than Hvar. 

And then I went to Korcula and slowly discovered that far from being more disconnected from the mainland than Hvar, the mainland is actually an extension of daily and social life. 

"Why don't you pop over for dinner?" asked my friend when I said I had no fixed plans for my last night on Korcula. "I know this lovely cosy little konoba on the water. Take the small little taxi-boat at 19:00 (cost 12 kuna) and I will meet you the other side, and we can walk from there."

It would never have occurred to me - as I am sure it doesn't to most visitors to Korcula - to pop over to the Peljesac Peninsula for dinner, but the boat connections are really outstanding. Apart from the main ferry terminal, there are regular taxi-boat services which are quick and affordable. I took the 19:00, for example, had a wonderful evening and was on the 22:30 ferry back home.  

My friend met me and we walked along the waterfront. Orebic is known for its fine waterfront sea captain stone houses, and they were mightily impressive close up. The wind was up a little, and a brisk walk along the waterfront brought back all those island memories and loves now that I live in exile in Varazdin. 

And even more so when I entered Karako. For here was the homely and warm authentic konoba experience at its best. Open most of the year, Karako is one of the most heartening things in Dalmatian hospitality, especially our of season - a warm and welcoming place with excellent traditional food and great wine, as the wind howls outside. Its waterfront location must make it a divine spot in summer. 

Hostess Ani gave us a warm greeting, fully immersed as she was with her prawns in the cute restaurant kitchen. Authentic Dalmatian dining the traditional way. I felt a little homesick for my former island life. 

As the season has not yet started, there was a more limited menu, but it was all superb. I was obviously enraptured by the tuna steak, as I forgot to snap it, but here is the fabulous Dalmatian platter for two. 

A really nice contrast to the excellent dining experiences on Korcula, then a brisk walk along the waterfront, taking in the salty wind and lapping waves before the late evening ferry. 

Ah, the joys of island life, made all the more bearable when you have such fantastic options just 15 minutes away on the mainland. Lovely place.  

April 27, 2019 - The second day of this year's Korculanske Pjatance Korcula Spring Food and Wine Festival took an outstanding look at one of the pillars of Dalmatian society at Bistro Radiona - 'marenda', the Dalmatian brunch.

Korcula in Spring is mesmerising. This is my second visit to the island of Marco Polo at this time of year, both to the excellent Korculanske Pjatance Spring Food and Wine Festival. It is fast becoming one of my essential entries in the calendar, for it has everything Croatia could - and should - be offering in its shoulder months. 

But how to beat the incredible start of the opening day, where Konoba Maha in Zrnova played host to an extraordinary display of local nibbles, washed down with tequila and a copious quantity of Korcula's famed Posip and Grk wines? The wise ones among us kept a little space for the evening spectacle - and arguably the event of the festival - a 5-course special at Lesic Dimitri Palace, paired with Korculan wines and introduced by Master of Wine Jo Ahearne. 

What could possibly compare to that, I pondered to myself, on an early morning stroll (see video above), taking in the breathtaking gorgeousness of this historic old town jutting out into the Adriatic?

First up on day 2 was 'Marenda - the Art of Dalmatian Brunch' at Bistro Radiona, a waterfront restaurant a short walk from the old town. 

Marenda is a double-edged word for me, and for many years, it had a really negative connotation for me. 

State institutions have an official break in the middle of the morning, also called Marenda. It is so-called as the hard-working officials who have been pushing paper around for at least a couple of hours, close the office and go for a coffee break and perhaps a snack. Nothing wrong with that, you might think. The only problem for those visiting officials in places like the tax office is that one never knew the time of the marenda, and so a locked office might be your reward for coming at the wrong time. And not only that - the normal marenda time was half an hour, just enough time to enjoy a nice leisurely coffee and gather some strength to push more paper around until lunchtime. So when I saw an advertised marenda time of 10:30 - 11:00, I would make sure I was in position by 10:59. Only to find that half an hour often became 45 minutes or an hour. Ah, life on a Dalmatian island. 

But then there is the other type of marenda - the actual eating. The so-called Dalmatian brunch. And as I was about to find out, the Art of Brunch at Bistro Radiona on Korcula was a feast indeed. 

I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I liked the warm welcome above. 

And you can't go wrong with a little prsut to kickstart proceedings.

We took our places at our table for two, our first mission to do battle with this wonderful plate of oysters. 

A little marinated anchovies never hurt anyone, and I particularly enjoyed the fragrant rock samphire and caperberries. A really strong dish, which tasted every bit as good as it looked. 

A little goat and fava bean stew.  

While my friend opted for the limpet and sea snail tagliatelle.

The sea snails were quite chewy and easily prized from their shells. 

There were more courses available, but I had had more than enough. Until the selection of traditional Korculan desserts came out.

And who can resist a little light rozada? 

A truly exceptional presentation of the art of marenda. I will be back!

You can follow Bistro Radiona on Facebook.

To learn more about Korcula, check out the Total Croatia guide, Korcula in a Page. 

The 3rd Korculanske Pjatance Korcula Spring Food and Wine Festival opened on April 26, 2019, with two Brits combining to provide an unforgettable gourmet treat at Lesic Dimitri Palace.  

Someone asked me recently to name my favourite place in Croatia. 

With so many incredible things to see and do here, the list of top places is long, and it was a question I have been thinking about ever since. And then this morning, I think I had the answer, or at least a strong candidate for that favourite place. 

There is something about the terrace at Lesic Dimitri Palace in Korcula Town that you cannot find anywhere else. Perhaps it is the waves gently lapping against the rocks below, the subtle wind blowing to nullify the intense heat of the day, the engaging company of British owner Michael Unsworth, the food of course, and the general laid back ambiance of this magical historic walled town. It is a little spot of perfection which celebrates the very best of tourism in Croatia, and I feel privileged to have experienced it on more than one occasion. 

I felt even more lucky when I was not only invited back to cover what was for me one of the highlights of 2018 - the Korculanske Pjatance Spring Food and Wine Festival - but an invitation which came with accommodation at the fabled Lesic Dimitri Palace itself. I was beyond excited. 

The hotel has just 9 rooms, all themed on parts of Marko Polo's Silk Road - Venice, China, Ceylon, India, Arabia and China -  but an astonishing 32 employees in the season, which probably makes it the highest ratio in the country for staff to guests. Just one more reason why Lesic Dimitri Palace is considered by many to be the top boutique hotel in Croatia. It is one of just four hotels in the country which are members of Relais Chateaux, while its fine dining restaurant also features in the Michelin Guide.

And we were here for the food...  

I managed to catch some of the impressive Lesic team before the evening started. You see the same faces year on year at Lesic Dimitri, one of the most cohesive and professional units I have seen in my time in Croatia, and a team which clearly loves that they do. 

After a very successful career in the City of London, Michael Unsworth turned his attentions to Korcula, an island he has been in love with since meeting it while visiting his future wife in Orebic back in his student years. With the opening of Lesic Dimitri and its excellent restaurant, he has been the driving force and pioneer for Korcula's focus on higher quality in both gourmet and accommodation. 

It was fitting that the evening at Korculanske Pjatance also starred another Brit doing amazing things on another Dalmatian island - Master of Wine Jo Ahearne on Hvar. After the welcome and introductions from Lesic Dimitri sommelier Drazen and Michael, Jo introduced her paired selection of Korcula wines to go with the menu of Lesic chef Marko Gajski, beginning with an aperitif of Merga Victa Posip 2018.

And so to the food, which was truly one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Marko Gajski is a rising star of the Croatian gourmet scene and is improving year on year. This dinner was a wow.

Gambero rosso, with a glass of Grk Bartul 2018 by Zure.

Jo was on hand to introduce each wine as every course was served, explaining both the wine and the reasons for her choice. It is not every day you get an education from a Master of Wine included in the meal.  

Sashimi  - sea bass, bottarga and horseradish, with Rukatac Single vineyard 2016 from Radovanovic. 

Escargot tempura, with garlic, parsley, lardo and egg yolk. Jo paired this with Amfora Milina. 

Rubia Gallega beef, with beetroot, demi glace with marinated tarragon seeds sauce and spring onion. Bire might be famous for its Grk, but the red Plavac Mali Bire 2016 went very well with it.  

And to finish, a cheese selection with a glass of Luka Krajancic Posip Orange 2012. 

A superb evening, and congratulations to all involved.  

It is 7 years since the late Anthony Bourdain told the world about Croatia and its 'world-class food, world-class wine, and world-class cheese.' I am sure he would have enjoyed last night on Korcula.

It was nice to capture some special moments from the evening. Chef Marko, who has benefited from the opportunity and faith Michael has put in him.  The respect, love and appreciation is mutual.

And it was nice to see Jo and Marko talking shop and exchanging their views after the meal. 

A truly lovely event. Make sure you put the Korculanske Pjatance in your schedule for next year. You can follow the rest of this year's festival on Facebook. 

Learn more about Lesic Dimitri Palace.

Both Jo and Michael kindly agreed to a video interview, which I recorded this morning, and which will be published as soon as I overcome my technological ineptitude. 

April 27, 2019 - The 3rd edition of Korculanske Pjatance, the Korcula Spring Food and Wine Festival, got off to a glorious start at Konoba Maha, in trademark glorious weather. 

Of all the Croatian tourist destinations trying to implement strategies for the future, one of the most interesting and enticing is the island of Korcula. 

Like much of the rest of the coast and islands, Korcula is blessed with so many natural treasures - nature, beaches, heritage, culture and pristine seas. 

And outstanding food and wine. 

Putting these components together and trying to build a destination with an outstanding gourmet off which will attract higher spending quality guests rather than setting for the mass market is something that Korcula has been implementing for some years now, and with considerable success. 

Korcula Town has several boutique festivals in the shoulder season, including the Korkyra Baroque Music Festival in September but if you are a foodie, there is only one place to be at this time of year. 

Korculanske Pjatance, the Korcula Spring Food and Wine Festival, is now in its third edition, and it has already become an unmissable part of my TCN travels on the second day of this, my second visit. A series of workshops, cooking classes, wine paired meals and other culinary activities highlighting the Spring flavours of this must flavoursome island is one of the best gourmet promotional concepts I have seen in my time in Croatia. Various Korculan restaurants host the events, and with the island's winemakers providing their excellent Grk, Posip and other local varieties, this is a festival to satisfy even the most demanding gourmand. 

This year's festival started at Konoba Maha, near Zrnova, with an opening ceremony with (quite a few) nibbles. for media, partners and participants. The slow-burning fire gave a taster of the meat and tuna tasters, which would follow, but there was plenty to sample before then. 

And before we could even get to the wine, an obligatory 11 am tequila cocktail, which hit the spot rather well. 

Many of the island's top chefs had prepared various delicacies, and Lesic Dimitri chef Marko Gajski was busy applying the final touches. It was to be a busy day for young Marko, who would later serve up an astonishing 5-course special at Lesic Dimitri Palace, with wine pairings provided by Master of Wine Jo Ahearne, who had popped over from the neighbouring island of Hvar, where she is the first Master of Wine making wine in Croatia, all from local indigenous grape varieties. 

It was also my first visit to Konoba Maha, and the setting was superb. There is a trend in Croatia to develop agro-tourism businesses, and while the quality of the end product can leave a little to be desired at times, Konoba Maha is showing what can be achieved. The garden is lush with a rich and aromatic selection of local plant life, with a section which also provides vegetables for the Maha kitchen. It is a divine spot in total isolation. 

A divine spot, even with the food. But add in a few bites to eat... 

A selection of the initial offerings while the slow cooking happened a few feet away. 

Korcula is famous for its white wines of Grk and Posip, and both are regarded as among the best white wines in all Croatia. A number of the island's winemakers turned up to support the event. 

With a rather an impressive selection of Korculan wines to try. And with a cocktail workshop to come at 15:00, followed by that Lesic dinner, it was necessary to pace oneself a little. 

From wine to cocktails, and there was plenty of engagement from participants in the workshop, which this correspondent had to leave soon after it started due to a prior commitment. 

There was so much to look forward to in the next day and a half. That dinner at Lesic Dimitri Palace.

Learning about 'marenda', a type of Dalmatian brunch the following morning. 

Before a 6-course dinner with celebrated Croatian chef, Dino Galvagno, back at Konoba Maha. All this before a Galvagno masterclass on the topic of Wild Edibles and Entrails the following morning. For details of more events at Korculanske Pjatance, follow the festival Facebook page. 

And put it in your diary for next year. 

Due to the lack of transport links to the western part of the island of Korčula and the island of Lastovo, mayors of municipalities of Vela Luka, Blato, Smokvica and Lastovo have sent an open letter to Jadrolinija's CEO David Sopta, Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Dubrovnik-Neretva County Prefect Nikola Dobroslavić, and Member of Parliament Branko Bačić, reports Dalmacija Danas on April 25, 2019.

“The island of Korčula is one of the most populated Croatian islands without a physical link to the mainland, while the inhabitants of the island of Lastovo and the western part of the island of Korčula are some of the most isolated ones, if we take into consideration time needed for them to reach their county seats. For this reason, most residents gravitate towards the county seat of the neighbouring county, which is connected with the islands by ferry and catamaran lines. For years these lines have been neglected, both qualitatively (types of vessels) and quantitatively (number of lines). Although fast and with excellent manoeuvring capabilities, the Lastovo ferry no longer has enough capacity for this line, and it could surely serve its purpose better on some other island line.

Accordingly, on January 28, 2019, a meeting was held in Dubrovnik on the topic of solving the problems of the (non-)existence of transport links to the islands in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, especially fast-ship and ferry connections to Vela Luka and Lastovo, initiated by Member of Parliament Branko Bačić.

Four significant conclusions were agreed upon at the meeting: It is necessary for Jadrolinija to immediately start the process of purchasing a used ship for the Split-Vela Luka-Lastovo line, and continue towards constructing a new ship for the same line. The participants also fully supported the construction of eight local- and county-level ports in the area of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. It was established that the Jelena catamaran, the only one with the necessary maritime capabilities, should be permanently devoted to the Split-Vela Luka-Lastovo route. There is also the need for the fast-ship Dubrovnik-Lastovo line, for which the government has already given its consent, to be converted into a daily line to improve connections between Lastovo and the county seat, and to make it possible for high school students to attend the secondary school in Korčula, which is the wish of parents from Lastovo.

Given that we have received unofficial information that the purchase of the used vessel Panorama for the Split-Vela Luka- Ubli line has failed, and that the Jelena catamaran will no longer be used for the Split-Hvar-Vela Luka-Ubli route, please let us know as soon as possible whether this information is accurate and what is the plan for the tourist season that has already begun. We also ask you to reconsider the decisions mentioned above, so that in 2019 the inhabitants of the islands of Lastovo and Korčula would no longer be treated as second-class citizens,” states the letter sent by local officials.

Translated from Dalmacija Danas.

More Croatian island news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

The main event of spring 2019 on Korčula will probably be the food and wine festival Korčulanske pjatance, and TCN has written about the appeal of the festival. But, this year late April and May will be filled with various interesting events on Korčula, inviting you to visit the island before the craziness of the high tourist season starts and enjoy the island and the town of Korčula in all its glory.

One of the traditions observed in Korčula for centuries is the celebration of the Holy Week, or as the people of Korčula call it "Vela setemana" (obviously, a combination of a Croatian word for big and an Italian word for week). All three of the confraternities of Korčula (The Confraternity of All Saints, the St. Rocco Confraternity, and the confraternity of St. Michael) participate in the procession of the Holy Friday (April 19th 2019), one of the biggest such processions in Croatia.

Not often does it happen that the big processions around the Korčula Old Town take place not even a week apart, but this year, since the Easter is so late in the spring, the festivities of the day of Saint Mark take place just a few days after Easter. The procession and the celebration of the saint to whom the Korčula cathedral is dedicated will happen on Thursday, April 25th. It is also a great opportunity to visit the Cathedral itself, a gothic-renesanse monument built in 14th, 15th and 16th century by Italian masters and local builders, first and foremost master stonemason Marko Andrijić.

If you're not into food, wine or religious celebrations, maybe you're into sports and recreation. If that's the case, Korčula has got something for you too: Marco Polo Challenge Triathlon, which is taking place on April 27th this year, for the ninth time. There are several disciplines to choose from, either the olympic triathlon (1500 m swimming + 40 km on a bicycle + 10 km running) for the most fit, sprint triathlon (750m + 20km + 5 km), sprint triathlon relay (one athlete doing each of the disciplines), super sprint triathlon for the kids under 19 and under 16 (375m + 10 km + 2.5 km) and a fundraising 5 km street race open for everyone. Korčula Marco Polo Challenge triathlon is the first race of the triathlon season in Croatia.

And, finally, after the triathlon and all that racing has made you hungry, the Croatian Island Products fair will open in Korčula on April 27th as well. It's an established event, promoting the flavours of Korčula in the location accessible to tourists throughout the tourist season once a week until the late autumn, helping local producers present their products to a wider audience.

April 12, 2019 - Gourmet heaven in Spring, as historic Korcula comes alive with the Korculanske Pjatance Spring Food and Wine Festival.

It was without doubt the nice thing we did as a family last year. 

And if someone asked me to cherry pick a Croatian gourmet experience, I don't think I could have done better than a 5-course special at arguably Croatia's leading luxury boutique hotel, Lesic Dimitri, whose restaurant is in the Michelin Guide, with wines from Bire, who was coincidentally celebrating 20 years of his iconic Lumbarda winery, most famous for its Grk. A perfect introduction to a fabulous food and wine festival on Korcula, which this year returns from April 26-30. You can read about the opening night here.

Tara's Lodge in early MayTara's Lodge in early May with such glorious Korcula weather - it was impossible to get the kids to get in the car back to Varazdin. And the workshops! My kids adored the homemade pasta masterclass at Filippi, and foraging for herbs with pastry chef Petra Jelicic before learning how to use them to make some outstanding desserts in another Michelin-rated restaurant - Konoba Mate in Pupnat. 

Could that outstanding programme be bettered? Impossible! Or so you would think. But this year's programme looks tantilising indeed. Check out the press release and programme below. 

And I know that we Brits are not famous for our food (at least in terms of high quality), but what a fantastic opening night combination to start the festival. British owner of Lesic Dimitri will be the host, and Londoner Jo Ahearne MW, the only Master of Wine in Croatia, will make the short journey from her adopted home on Hvar, to sort the wines. 

This is a truly fabulous event - don't miss it. 

SPRING FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL KORČULANSKE PJATANCE

Dino Galvagno, Hrvoje Zirojević, Jo Ahearne, Marko Gajski, Biljana Milat, Lucija Tomašić, Damir Šarić and others famous names of the Croatian food and wine scene, will be our guests at the third edition of the Spring Food and Wine Festival Korčulanske Pjatance, which will be held from 26th to 30th April, organized by Korčula’s finest restaurants. 

Korčulanske pjatance is already recognized by the profession and the media. Last year we offered creative plates defined within the framework of modern Croatian cuisine, with additional guest appearances from people like the famous chefs David Skoko and Steven Pieters, or pastry chef Petra Jelinić. 

This year, masterclasses will be held by some of the most famous names of Croatian culinary art, chef Dino Galvagno who is in top 10 Croatian chefs, chef Hrvoje Zirojević, recently established as the chef of the year in the Gault&Millau, gourmet guide and successful young pastry chef Lucija Tomašić. The art of making homemade bread will be presented by Damir Šarić, and Jo Ahearne, a British Master of Wine who lives in Croatia will preside over our Wine Night with her personal selection of the best wines from Korčula. 

All the Festival visitors will enjoy our Chef’s creativity, great seasonal produce and the finest local wines at special prices. 

The Korčulanske Pjatance Association brings together the finest Korčula restaurant: Adio Mare, Aterina, Barić, Filippi, LD Restaurant, Marco's, Nonno, Radiona, Konoba Maha, Konoba Mate as well as OPG Eko Škoj, a producer of organic local olive oils, jams and herbs. They all take their inspiration from locally grown, seasonal food and herbs. 

This year's Festival will see collaboration with the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula, which will host masterclasses in their well-equipped demonstration kitchen. 

The value and importance of the Festival and Korčula's gastronomic offer has once again been recognized by the most prestigious global gastronomic guide Michelin which for the second year in a row has assigned three recommendations, for LD Restaurant, Filippi Restaurant and Konoba Mate. Together with our visiting experts local chefs will be presented, primarily chef Marko Gajski, a participant in this year's Chef's Stage in Šibenik, Biljana Milana who recently won the prestigious Gault&Millau award for pastry chef of the year, and the Slow Food Pelješac Association, whose members will hold a workshop for children. Participants will also take part in a cocktail workshop in cooperation with Coca Cola and an education course on local olive oils.

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Korčula and surrounding places

26 – 30 April 2019

26.04.2019.

11.00

Konoba Maha

Official opening of the festival with presentation of participants, business partners and other associates – for invitees of festival and public media

15.00

Cocktail Workshop – Powered by Coca Cola

19.00

LD Restaurant

Korčula in the Bottle – five-course dinner with wine choices by Jo Ahearne - Master of Wine

27.04.2019.

11.00

Bistro Radiona

The Art of Brunch – traditional brunch of Korčula

14.00

Demonstration Kitchen at the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula

Pastry shop Mala Truba – healthy desserts and bread made of homemade yeast and whole-wheat flour workshop

19.00

Konoba Maha

Guest chef Dino Galvagno – multi-course dinner with wine

28.04.2019.

9.00

Demonstration Kitchen at the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula

Masterclass: Wild Edibles & Entrails – chef Dino Galvagno

19.00

Korčulanske pjatance

Lagoon Regata – dinner for regatta participants

29.04.2019.

11.00

Demonstration Kitchen at the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula

Slow Food Peljesac Association – Lecture and workshop for children

15.00

Demonstration Kitchen at the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula

Masterclass: Sea on the Plate – chef Hrvoje Zirojević

19.00

Aterina Restaurant

City museum of Korčula – Culture of nutrition through history of Korčula, lecture powered by Aterina snacks

30.04.2019.

10.00

Demonstration Kitchen at the Petar Šegedin High School in Korčula

Eko Škoj and Sensory analysts of Korčula island – presentation, tasting and education about olive oils of Korčula island

19.00

A joint dinner of all “Pjatance” participants for all gourmets

23.00

Festival After Party

Follow the latest on the official Facebook page.

Dubrovnik is no stranger to winning awards and you're probably used to reading about it, but this area in the extreme south of Dalmatia continues to fascinate the world for an abundance of reasons. From its stunning natural beauty and crystal clear sea, to its rich history and equally impressive culture, the Pearl of the Adriatic and its immediate surrounding area just keep on making the world's jaws drop.

This time however, it isn't just the famous Dalmatian UNESCO protected old city and its mighty walls which are taking home yet another award for a promotional film made about its unique beauty, but the wider area of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. This truly picturesque part of southern Croatia boasts an almost equal amount of natural beauty and history, and from Ston to Konavle next to the Montenegrin border, you'll likely have your breath taken away multiple times.

As Morski writes on the 11th of April, 2019, the brand new promotional film from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board, ''Dubrovnik Riviera'' continues to win awards and receive recognition from all sides. To be more precise, at the 2019 New York Festivals® International Film and TV awards festival, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, the promo film showcasing Dubrovnik-Neretva County's sheer beauty came third place and won the bronze plaquette.

To briefly recall, at the recent ''The Golden City Gate'' ceremony in Berlin, Germany, at the biggest international ITB World Tourism Fair, the promotional film came second place in the category of regional films, the film has been made by Balduci Film from Zagreb, was directed by Herve Tirmarche and produced by Spomenka Saraga. The film depicts the beauty of Dubrovnik-Neretva County from the Neretva valley, to the islands of Korčula and Mljet, and then Croatia's southernmost municipality of Konavle, which borders Montenegro.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia you're interested in, have a look at Dubrovnik in a Page for everything you need to know about the Rearl of the Adriatic.

As we previously reported, there are major plans for what is supposed to happen to the area around Korčula's bus station, which is also a main entrance to the Korčula town for all those arriving by car, in the next year or two. 

The first change, which we announced would happen very soon, has already been completed. As we've reported a couple of weeks ago, the removal of the (some would say quite ugly) concrete structure that has been hovering above the bus station was going to happen. And, what can we say, it has happened!

The officials in Korčula were quite careful with giving the timeline how long the works on the removal might last, since they were not quite sure how easy it would be to actually remove the concrete, but I guess it was in fact quite easy. As of a couple of days ago, I can happily report that the structure is no more, and this morning the entire protective shield that was erected around the building to protect it from any damage the demolition might've brought upon it has also been removed.

The road blocks are still around the perimeter of the site, as it has obviously not been fully prepared to take buses again safely, but the bulk of the work has been done in the past couple of weeks. And it seems to have been done without any damage to the remainder of the bus stop.

And one important note: the Tisak kiosk located in the bus station building seems to be working again, which is of course excellent news for those needing a little something for their nicotine addiction, as well as for the school kids taking the bus to and from home, who are (let's be honest) the biggest buyers at the kiosk every day anyway! 

As Morski writes on the 21st of March, 2019, a session of the Municipal Council of Vela Luka on the island of Korčula was attended by the county's deputy prefect Joško Cebalo, who expressed the wider county's support for all of the innovative projects currently being prepared and implemented by the municipality, which are aided by EU funds.

''This time especially, I'd like to emphasise sincere congratulations to all of the employees of Vela Luka's home for the elderly for the municipal award that will be given to them today,'' Joško Cebalo stated, adding that the project of energy renovation for the home, which is worth more than four million kuna, will soon begin.

Port infrastructure is still seen as a top priority for Vela Luka. Deputy Prefect Cebalo stressed the fact that this issue really is a matter over which the county's administration is continuing to take care and that one of its main priorities is the continued renewal and further construction of Vela Luka's highly important port infrastructure.

According to him, the county is currently preparing as many as eight projects worth over 500 million kuna in total, and the most important for Vela Luka's residents were highlighted, these include the construction of a new ferry-passenger terminal worth 60 million kuna, which should be implemented this year, and the project of the construction of a fishing port, for which the project documentation is currently being prepared.

''As the completion of the construction of Pelješac bridge will be the symbol of the first decade of Croatia's membership of the European Union, these two projects in Vela Luka will symbolise [our] development thanks to EU funds, as well as our care for the islands,'' concluded Vela Luka's deputy prefect.

Make sure to stay up to date on the construction of infrastructure in Vela Luka and far beyond by following our dedicated lifestyle and business pages. If it's just the island of Korčula you're interested in, give Total Korčula a follow.