Pelješac is the second largest peninsula in Croatia. It is located in South Dalmatia in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, 60km from Dubrovnik and 170km from Split.
The peninsula is 65km long, with an area of 358km2 and a population of 8,000. Due to its geographic location at the heart of the Mediterranean, exquisite beauty, pleasant climate and the rich flora and fauna, people have lived here since the dawn of ages; there are remnants of human settlements from the Neolithic Era. In the 5th century BC the Illyrians were the first tribe that inhabited the peninsula. After them came the Romans, followed by the Slavs in the 7th century. The peninsula prospered greatly under the Republic of Dubrovnik, which bought it from the Serbian Emperor Dušan and the Bosnian Ban Stjepan II. Kotromanović in 1333. After the demise of the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1808 its history is the same as the region’s.
Pelješac is tailored to every tourist’s taste. For those who enjoy food and wine it is widely known for its production of olive oil and Dingač and Postup, first-rate red wines made from an autochthonous grape species Plavac mali. There is a wine road in the interior of the peninsula with a large number of private wine-cellars where you can taste local specialties and fine wines, while oysters, mussels and fish are farmed in the Bay of Mali Ston.
Tourists keen on history can visit the mystic Nakovana and see the remains from the Bronze Age. Nakovana tells us intriguing stories: from an Illyrian shrine, Spila cave – a place for taking oaths and ritual dancing, the stone burial mounds, Norin – a fay spring, the oldest chapel on Pelješac, to the home of Ivan Lupis – the man who invented the torpedo, and much more. Among others, there is Ston, which had the first salt pans in the region and the longest city walls in Europe built in the 14th century.
Sveti Ilija is the highest peak of Pelješac, rising above Orebić, at 961m. Hiking trails with two hiker’s huts lead up to it. The view, of the islands and the sea on the one side and the snowcapped peaks of the Dinaric Alps on the other, is breathtaking.
Žuljana is one of the diving centers on the Adriatic with a few hulls of old sunken ships which divers love to explore. For adventurers and those who enjoy sports there is Viganj. Other places include Janjina, Lovište, Kučište and Mokalo. Each place tells its story, and all together they weave a fairy tale for your peaceful holiday with your friends, partner or family. A fairy tale oasis dedicated to getting you away from the turbulent existence and the bustle of the city, with beautiful beaches upon which the waves of the clear, warm Adriatic Sea break.
