Moving South
Travelling to Ston
Piero: early in the morning, when Zagreb is still asleep after the night of New Year celebrations, we pack up, get on our van and leave.
Angela: we have to travel about 600 kilometers to reach Ston.
Piero: we chose this location, which is not on the main tourist routes, because it seemed like a good starting point for the tours of the last three days.
Angela: it will take us just over seven hours, including a couple of stops.
Piero: we have two different alternatives to reach Ston: driving on the highway to reach Ploče, then taking the ferry to Trpanj and from there travelling south along the Peljesac peninsula until you reach the destination; however, the ferryboat journey is about an hour and there are only four ferries a day; the alternative is going south, crossing the Croatian-Bosnian border twice in a few kilometers until reaching Ston. We chose this second option.
Angela: when you rent the vehicle, make sure you can travel outside the European Union; a small stretch of coast is in fact in Bosnian territory.
Piero: roads and motorways in Croatia, especially in the last decade, have improved considerably: those who remember the old, dangerous and crowded roads along the coast, today will be struck by the modernity of the motorways and above all the beautiful and well-equipped service stations: they are points that satisfy every need of those who travel, even if you travel with children.
Angela: as we drive from the hinterland to the sea the view becomes more and more attractive: the view of the Croatian coast, scattered with greenery with the myriad Dalmatian islands in the background, remained impressed in our memory.
Piero: after a small mishap with customs at the border, we reach Ston in the afternoon.
Angela: we chose this location almost by chance, just because it seemed convenient for our travels. We have to say that it was a very pleasant discovery because it is a beautiful town by the sea and because we found a fantastic accommodation: Apartmani Ponta.
Piero: it is a beautiful accommodation in front of the sea which fascinated us for the beautiful images; I must say that it is one of the very rare cases in which reality exceeds the photos that advertise it. It is a fairly recent construction in which the owners' family also lives; some spacious apartments have been created on the top floor, all very beautiful, spacious, very clean and with attention to every detail; each accommodation also has an enchanting terrace overlooking the sea and the wonderful village.
Angela: the memorable thing was the fantastic welcome of Marijana's family, always available for every need!
Piero: how to forget also the fantastic tray of fresh oysters they used to welcome us?
Angela: if you are planning a vacation in this area, I highly recommend this accommodation!
Piero: as mentioned, Ston is certainly not amongst the famous tourist destinations. It is located on the isthmus that connects the Peljesac Peninsula with continental Croatia and it is usually only a crossing point for those heading to Korcula from there. But Ston is a very quiet town; it is famous for the delicious fish: it is absolutely worth indulging in a succulent dinner of oysters and mussels in its typical restaurants. Ston is a medieval town protected by a wall still preserved today. The walls were built in 1333 and with their 5.5 km in length they represent one of the largest fortification systems in Europe.
Angela: today they are trying to reconstruct the beauty of the medieval village even if the interventions do not always manage to maintain the charm of antiquity.
Piero: in the afternoon, we have time for a stroll along the small beach near our apartment and we entertain the kids playing our own version of volleyball, in a small park nearby.
Angela: for our dinner we trust (luckily!) Marijana's suggestions who book for us one of the typical restaurants we mentioned earlier.
Piero: tired but completely full, after tasting some excellent fish, it's time to enjoy a well-deserved rest!
