Visiting Korcula Island
Korcula
is a long, narrow island, situated just south of the Peljesac Peninsula
of South Dalmatia. The island is thought to have got its name from the
Greek korkyra melaina after the dense pine forest that once
covered it. It is just a short ferry ride away from the mainland and was
first settled in 6,500 BC.
The town of
Korcula, on the north-east coast, is often described as being like a
mini-Dubrovnik because of its roofs of terracotta tiles set above the
sea on a small, fortified peninsula. The island has changed hands
several times over the centuries, but the architectural legacy left by
the Venetians between 1420 and 1779 is second to none.
The Land Gate
is the main entrance to the old, fortified town, and the symbol of
Venice, the winged lion of St Mark, can be seen above the arch. The
Gothic-Renaissance Cathedral of St Mark stands on the main square. The
doorway built by Bonino of Milan in 1412 has Adam and Eve to either
side, and St Mark above. There is a lovely rose window in the center of
the facade. The Renaissance interior was carved by a local stonemason,
and contains treasures such as an early Tintoretto.
Next to the
cathedral is the seventeenth-century Bishop's Palace, which holds the
town's treasury, and opposite it is the museum, housed in the
sixteenth-century Renaissance Gabrielli's Palace. The island is famous
for the Moreska, a medieval sword dance that originated in Spain and is
now performed during the summer in a garden next to the Land Gate.
