This small abandoned village with a romantic touch offers you a journey back in time to recent eras. Time stopped here around 1967, when the inhabitants moved to nearby Milna. It's clear at first glance that the village is abandoned. The houses are dilapidated and overgrown with lush vegetation. However, on one edge of the village, in contrast to all this, there is a beautifully reconstructed villa. One immediately thinks that perhaps some life might return here over time.
There's also a great restaurant here, Stori komin. It's very traditional, and the menu includes classic Dalmatian specialties. Anyone who wants to enjoy excellent food here must make a reservation by phone in advance. It's also the best way to find out what they currently have on offer.
From the restaurant, there's a beautiful view of the valley and the opposite cliffs. And what's important, the restaurant is only open in the late afternoon and evening.
But before you sit down in the restaurant, walk through the village, get lost in the old streets, and soak in the beautiful atmosphere that will completely envelop you.
On the way to the restaurant, you'll pass a well-preserved building with an olive press on the ground floor, and the apartment of the local school teacher on the upper floor.
The village of Malo Grablje is first mentioned in 1539. It is believed that it was originally shepherd's dwellings and a place for housing livestock. By 1621, both villages – Malo Grablje and Velo Grablje – were already mentioned. The village fared very well and flourished beautifully – a church, school, library, water cistern were built, and an agricultural cooperative was established. They were doing very well even at the end of the 19th century, when wine production on the island reached its peak. According to records, there were still 179 inhabitants here in 1910. But then phylloxera swept through Europe – a pest attacking vineyards with devastating effect. Phylloxera arrived in the village in 1915. After the First World War, it was not possible to replant new rootstocks, and so lavender, rosemary, and Dalmatian pyrethrum came to the forefront.
For all this, it might seem that the inhabitants moved to nearby Milna because life in the village was no longer sustainable. But that's not the case. They moved simply because they could, because they had building plots and because they owned fertile land between Hvar and Milna. They were doing well; lavender was very profitable at the time.
If you're wandering in the western part of Hvar, don't miss this sleepy village. It's a short distance from Milna; an asphalt road turns off the main road here. After a short drive through a canyon, a valley with the village will suddenly open up before you. You can also get here from the opposite direction, from the village of Velo Grablje. Or from here, you can continue over Velo Grablje along the ridge with magnificent views to Stari Grad or via Brusje to the other side, all the way to Hvar town. There are several options, just choose one.
