5 Magical Islands With No Cars kaprije Named after the locally abundant caper (kapar in Croatian), Kaprije is a blissfully unspoiled island with no roads and hardly any motor vehicles of any sort (officially it’s a car free island, although there are a few old wrecks dotted around the place that got here somehow). The small village of Kaprije caters for the hundred-or-so permanent inhabitants. Private rooms and apartments cater for a summer influx of tourists, although the island is never in danger of being overrun. Kaprije’s uniquely sheltered bay is an increasingly popular anchor-dropping point for yachtsfolk exploring the nearby Kornati, while the island’s numerous coves are ideal for a spot of secretive bathing.
Photo by Ivan Bjelajac on Unsplash - Morinjski put, Šibenik
Krapanj Lying only 300 metres off the shore of Brodarica, the low-lying island of Krapanj was once famous for being the centre of the Adriatic sponge industry, with most of the island’s male population devoting their time to sponge-diving. Nowadays Krapanj is a relatively quiet but undoubtedly attractive spot, with a line of stone houses along the mainland-facing waterfront, and a handful of souvenir shops selling sponge-themed gifts. Slightly inland from the shoreline is the Franciscan Monastery, founded in 1435 when monks from Bosnia were gifted the island by local nobles. The monastery museum contains religious artworks, including an extraordinarily expressive 15th-century crucifix carved by Split-based priest Juraj Petrović. The walled graveyard next door contains several family tombs honouring one-time sponge divers, many pictured in relief form wearing their large spherical deep-sea helmets. Head to the basement of the nearby Hotel Spongiola to find a small but entertaining display of exhibits connected with the local sponge-harvesting industry, including a lead-booted diving suit, and early 20thcentury air pumps. Qwww.visit-krapanjbrodarica.com.
Prvić In many ways Prvić is a smaller version of Zlarin, a verdant and unspoiled island with plenty in the way of traditional Mediterranean architecture. It has two main settlements - Prvić Luka at the eastern end, and Šepurine at the west - Prvić has a slightly larger permanent population and is marginally more lively as a result. Prvić was traditionally the summer retreat of Šibenik’s leading families, and remains associated with one great Šibenik name in particular - priest, diplomat and scientist Faust Vrančić (1551-1617). Vrančić was buried in Prvić Luka’s parish church. Educated in Padua, Vrančić served at the Habsburg court in Prague before devoting himself to his writings. His Latin-ItalianGerman-Hungarian-Croatian dictionary (published in 1595) was a landmark in Croatian language study. His more famous Machinae Novae, published in Venice in 1615, contains 49 copper-plate engravings of machines and inventions, in conscious homage to the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci published several decades earlier. Most famous of the illustrations is Homo Volans, which pictures a man descending through the air attached to a square canvas parachute. facebook.com/SibenikInYourPocket
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