North Dalmatia · Croatia
The only medieval Croatian city built entirely by Croatians — not Romans or Venetians.
01
The only major medieval Croatian city not built by Romans or Venetians. The Cathedral of St James is the masterpiece — Juraj Dalmatinac's building, 1431–1536, entirely stone, no mortar, the seventy-one portrait heads on the apsis exterior supposedly the citizens who refused the construction tax. The St Michael fortress looks down on the cathedral roof; the climb is twenty minutes.
02
Pelegrini, next to the cathedral, is Šibenik's Michelin-starred restaurant — book a fortnight ahead. Konoba Nostalgija for the home cooking and the wine list. The Krka river crayfish, in season, are local. The Skradin risotto — black, with cuttlefish — is the regional dish; eaten upriver on a long lunch.
03
First mentioned in 1066 as a fortified Croatian settlement — distinctly not Roman. The Venetian centuries gave it the cathedral and the city walls. The Ottomans came to within sight but never took it. The four fortresses around the harbour — St Michael, St Nicholas, St John, and Šubićevac — are the most complete defensive ring in Dalmatia.
04
Banj is the city beach, across the bay with the cathedral view. Solaris, 6km south, has the resort beaches; pebbles, pine. By boat: the Krka National Park (15nm) up the river, dinghy to Skradin then the park boat to the Skradinski buk waterfalls; the Kornati archipelago (20nm) — 140 mostly uninhabited islands, the silence has a texture, anchor in Lavsa bay.
05
The cathedral roof was rebuilt 1995 after the 1991 shell strikes; the new tiles are slightly lighter than the originals. The Šibenik klapa — a cappella male singing — performs in the cathedral square most summer evenings, free. The Krka park entry fee is payable at the buoy; bring cash. Mornings on the river before the day-trippers arrive.
Nearby
National park · 140 islands
One hundred and forty islands, most uninhabited. No roads, no cars, no towns. The silence here has a texture — the only sound is the anchor chain.
Bring three days of provisions. Park entry fee payable at the buoy. Anchor in Lavsa bay — one of the finest in the Adriatic.
River · Waterfalls
Accessible by dinghy up the Krka river — anchor off Skradin and take the park boat upriver to the waterfalls.
Swimming under Skradinski buk waterfall was recently reinstated. Worth timing a layover day for.
City · Cathedral
The Cathedral of St James — entirely built without mortar, in stone. Built between 1431 and 1536, showing the full transition from Gothic to Renaissance in one building.
The 72 portrait heads on the exterior apsis — supposedly faces of the citizens who refused to pay the construction tax.
Wind & seasons
Open to the Sirocco from the south — check swell before leaving the bay. Once inside the Kornati channel, the islands provide shelter. May and September are the Kornati months.
