Today I'm taking you on another trip to the Stari Grad Plain (Starogradsko polje), specifically to two abandoned settlements, Rašnik and Maslinovik. It's a nice walk, more suitable outside the main season when it's not so hot. We took the walk in April, when it's already quite pleasant during the day, and our small children also enjoyed the places.
First, a brief reminder of what the Stari Grad Plain actually is 🙂 It is an area with very fertile soil on the island of Hvar, between Stari Grad, Jelsa, Vrboska, and the villages of Dol and Vrbanj. The ancient Greeks divided the entire area into individual plots, and the ubiquitous stone was used for demarcation. This created walls and rectangular paths that have been preserved in the same form to this day. The site is inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Stop at the trim
Our first stop was at a nice trim, located near Dračevica (Dračevica is the only body of water on Starogradsko polje). It is one of many trims found on Starogradsko polje. They are built using a technique called suhozid, i.e., without mortar or other binder, and this technique was even inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
The trim is well-preserved and you can go inside.
As we were looking at it with the children, a passing car stopped by us, and two local men driving home from the plain (fields with grapevines, olive trees, and lavender are still cultivated on the plain today) explained to my delight that this trim is at least 400 years old and that in the past it was used to store tools needed for work in the fields. Trims were also used for overnight accommodation for livestock and people.
GPS coordinates of the trim: 43.186111, 16.630389
From the trim, we took a pleasant walk to the shepherd's settlement of Rašnik.
Olive trees, stones, and still-sleeping grapevines kept us company in the quiet landscape of the plain.
Rašnik Settlement
Rašnik Settlement is one of the abandoned shepherd settlements. These settlements were used occasionally for seasonal field work – e.g., in spring for hoeing vineyards, in summer for grazing goats, and in autumn for harvesting grapes and olives.
In such settlements, single-story houses were most commonly built. The ground floor usually housed a konoba (tavern/cellar), and the upper floor was a living area accessed via an external staircase with a terrace at the entrance.
There were several simple ground-floor buildings in the vicinity, and one of them always had a bread oven. The other buildings served for donkeys and goats.
GPS coordinates of Rašnik hamlet: 43.186054, 16.635236
From there, we returned the same way on foot to the car, which we had parked near the trim. And because we have small children, we drove a little further to the last destination of this walk, the hamlet of Maslinovik. But I can imagine skipping the car and walking there, it's not that far. Both hamlets are near Dračevica, which is the only water source on the entire plain.
The narrow path to the hamlet of Maslinovik winds between stone walls and is easily passable. Along the way, we encounter two trims and a little further on, a large agave.
Maslinovik Settlement
First, we pass the abandoned shepherd's settlement of Maslinovik. Like Rašnik, Maslinovik was founded in the 19th century, and by the 20th century, the place was abandoned again. Maslinovik is very close to Dračevica, so the settlement was mainly used for goat grazing.
From here, we turn left and after a short while, we arrive at the remains of the Greek defensive tower of Maslinovik, which was one of several defensive towers on the Stari Grad Plain.
The Greeks built the tower in the 4th century BC from large stone blocks, and it served as accommodation for soldiers. Today, only the remains of the tower and, next to it, the remains of two small houses can be seen on the site.
One of the small houses was used for livestock, and in the other, during the Austro-Hungarian times, there was a cannon used for defense against hail. This year, a local told us about
The resident explained that in the past, missiles were used as a defense against destructive hail, with which clouds were dispersed. It wasn't that long ago that this system was still in use, mainly in northern Croatia in areas near Slovenia, because that's where hail most often comes from. However, it was also used in other places, for example here above the fertile Starigrad Plain. The cannon is no longer there, but from here there is a beautiful view of Starigradsko polje and Dračevica, which is directly below Maslinovik.
GPS coordinates of Maslinovik: 43.194580, 16.634614
We ended our walk here, but from here you can easily continue to other sights on Starigradsko polje. You can go check out the largest trim on the plain and one of the well-preserved Roman villas, Kupinovik. You can draw inspiration here:
I wish you a beautiful walk wherever you go 🙂
