Calamotta / Kolocep channel: Islands
30/06/2011 10:35:22
Hello from Dubrovnik!!
We just have one more book of the Archduke related to the coasts of the Adriatic Sea: The Channel of Calamotta / Kolocep.
This channel starts, in it south side, just in front of Dubrovnik. It ends, in its north side, in the Ston / Stagno channel. The islands that form this channel are the Elafiti. The Archduke refers to three of them: Calamotta / Kolocep; Mezzo / Lopud y Giuppana / Sipan.
We have started the study of this channel with the islands first, and then we will do so with thw coast.
In the first place we find, coming from the north, the false mouth that takes us straight to the island of Sipan / Giuppana.
This is the largest of the Elafiti and the one that keeps better the essence of the past because it has not suffered as much as the others the impact of the tourism.After the false mouth we enter in the bay of Sipanski Luka / Giuppana.
There we find the first of the houses that were registered by the Archduke on the left hand shore of the bay.
Once in the port we see a large plane tree situated very close to a little church.
The open space just before the entrance of the church calls our attention.
Very close to the church we find the house of the mayor of Giuppana by 1910. And then we have the chance to meet Stanley, who is the grand child of the mayor, who was the son of the man who build the house.
He is very kind and shows us the house and explains that the father of his grandfather made a lot of money in Peru, Iquito, producing potassium clorate, of which he conserves a bottle full of it that his great grandfather brought from Peru.
He comments also that the architecte of the house, which was constructued following the style of the austro-hungarian empire, forgot the kitchen, an thus it had to be added later.
The next day we find ourselves in Sudurat. There we visit a large fortified house that belonged to a rich family around the XVIth century. The first owner, from Ragusa, had a ship contrusction yard originally in the place.
Marija Goravica shows to us the house and explains all the details. The house has a garden with pérgolas and the tower with a cistern. Then Marija also shows to us the ground and the first floors of the house. We can also see the old kitchen.
Finally we visit the little chapel, and the room of the priest, who also lived in the house, and was in charge of the education of the girls. Boys were sent to internships in Ragusa.
In Mezzo / Lopud we pass by the port situated just besides a fortification.On the mountain we observe the ruins of a castle, and to the right hand side of the bay we observe a large hotel.
In the other side of the island there is a beautiful creek plenty of boats. In Croatia the nautical charters have a lot of success and we can see them almost everywhere.
In Calamotta / Kolocep we go straight to the small port just after passing by the Calmotta mouth.
Very close to the port we see the house that the Archduke pointed in the book. Some local people tell us that this house belonged to a family of a man who ended being president of Chile.
Best wishes!!
