OUR LADY OF THE VINE

The path leading to the Church of Our Lady of the Vine passes through the traditional pasture parcels locally known as “ograjice”, where sheep graze to this day, which means you will come across traditional wooden picket gates. Make sure you close them behind you so they keep the sheep in. In the 18th century, the original Gothic church was turned into the entrance of a much larger church of an unusual cross floor plan with a trefoil façade. It is dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, traditionally celebrated in these parts by a pilgrimage on the 2 July. At the nearby shepherds’ dwelling of Loze (Croatian for “vines”), the vines are long gone. They have been replaced by picturesque olive groves.

JAMINA SREDI

At the central part of Punta Križa stands one of the most impressive pit caves on the island of Cres – Jamina (na) Sredì. The travel writer A. Fortis compared it in 1771 to the famous Roman Pantheon for its nearly perfect spherical shape and the hole on the “vault”. Archaeological research carried out in the cave in the 1950s uncovered evidence of Paleolithic hunters and Neolithic farmers, similar to those found in the nearby Vela Jama hidden in the mountain of Osoršćica, but also elsewhere in the northern Adriatic, which was at that time still part of the mainland.

SONTE BAY & SLATINE OF OSOR

Already at first sight you know that the wide and well-protected Sonte Bay is an archaeological site based on the derelict wall extending deep into the shallow sea. The lush greenery hides the remains of a larger Roman villa rustica and a church dedicated to an unusual patron saint (St. Plato), characterised by an unusual floor plan (single nave with two apses). Not surprising, since nearby lies the “source of life” – a brackish “lake” enclosed with dry stone wall, forming the Slatine salt marshes of Osor. Once they were a precious source of water for cattle (among other), and today they are a haven for flocks of migratory birds and dragonflies of all colours.