On the outskirts of the town of Murter, behind the Hramina port, on the Gradina peninsula, lies the archaeological site of Colentum. The remains of the Roman settlement stretch from the foot of Gradina hill down to below sea level. The monuments are practically on the beach, so it's a great opportunity to combine a trip with swimming. You'll need a snorkel to explore the submerged part of the city – they say amphorae and other interesting things can be seen underwater. In antiquity, the sea level was 2 meters lower than it is now.
The Roman city of Colentum existed from the 1st century BC until the 4th century AD and was an important port city. The port stretched from the current church, which you will pass on your way to the site. On the other side, the port was closed off by the Gradina peninsula and simultaneously protected by the opposite islets of Mali Vinik, Veli Vinik, and Tegina.
Thanks to numerous mosaic finds, it is believed that Colentum was a rich trading city. The prosperity of the place is also evidenced by the discovery of rich buildings arranged in terraces on the hillside overlooking the sea.
It is also assumed that Colentum had an acropolis on the top of Gradina hill. The slight problem is that material from antiquity was often used for other constructions, and this was no different here. And while I'm on the topic of the hilltop, it's worth mentioning that a Liburnian settlement was located right on the summit, dating from the 11th century BC until the beginning of the Roman period in the 1st century BC. The Liburnian settlement was surrounded by massive walls, in places 4-5 m wide, built using the dry-stone technique – without any binder. Here I must confess something. I left my husband and children swimming in the sea and set off to find the remains of the Liburnian settlement. The path up the hill leads through the excavations and is quite well preserved at first. However, where one should turn up, there is nothing. Not even far around. Usually, I don't give up easily and keep searching, but here there wasn't even a hint of a path, just dense vegetation everywhere. If anyone managed to reach the summit, I'd be happy to hear about the route 🙂
So, to summarize, you can drive to the Gradina peninsula, the road ends a short distance past the church. When we were there at the end of May, there were no signs of refreshment stands anywhere (thankfully), so you need to be prepared for that. The beach is nice and quiet, and you're actually swimming right next to the monuments. The beach is gravelly and there are sea urchins in the sea, so be aware of that too. And the remains of the Roman settlement are right above the beach. You can walk through it, but there's not much to see. I would bet on the snorkel here; we'll definitely bring one next time. In my opinion, the biggest benefit of the place is its location outside the town.
Finally, here's a link to a very nice website dedicated to the history of the place, from which I gathered a lot of interesting information. It's here: https://colentum.info/
