A major fort of the former Republic of Dubrovnik, Ston is famed for its 6 km long defensive walls, second largest in the world. There are two parts of the Ston walls: 900 meters long town wall and 5 km Great Wall outside the town. The walls extend to Mali Ston (Small Ston) and to the end of the Mali Ston bay.
Located 60 km from the Old Town, Ston has been of immense importance for the Republic of Dubrovnik because of its strongpoint in a defence of the territory, but also because of the salt pans situated there since the Roman times. One needs to remember that salt used to be regarded as a precious commodity pivotal to the normal functioning of the human body with a price sometimes being more valuable than gold.
If you’re heading to Ston, all roads will lead you to Mali Ston renowned for some of the finest oysters in Europe. Known as Ostrea edulis or European flat oysters, one will find them at Malostonski zaljev (Mali Ston Bay) where the water is salted and packed with phytoplankton. But springs from the Neretva river flow into this water and discharge mineral-heavy water turning this specific position of Mali Ston Bay one of the best environments for nurturing delicious oysters.
Did you know that oysters are one of the most notorious aphrodisiacs in the world? Might be good to write this down somewhere, just in case.
