January the 19th, 2026 – Addio is a sculpture by Zvonimira Obad depicting the loyal and devoted Marija, who was married for 32 years but only spent 13 months with her husband. Here’s the story behind Croatia’s most touching sculpture.
As Putni kofer/Ivana Vasarevic writes, when you combine the wonderful scents of dense pine forests, as many as 230 types of medicinal herbs and the aerosol of the sea, you end up with a unique outdoor aromatherapy, which is probably the greatest trademark of Lošinj. It’s therefore barely surprising that this jewel located in the northern Adriatic is also widely known as the island of vitality.
With a pleasant and mild climate, rich biodiversity and more than 200 sunny days a year, Lošinj is an environmentally conscious, modern destination bursting with health benefits. People there have lived alongside, for and because of the sea for countless centuries, and the essence of this is best illustrated by Croatia’s most touching sculpture, “Addio”, located in Mali Lošinj, the backstory of which will have everyone reaching for their tissues.
Before leaving the port and setting off on a long journey, every Lošinj vessel would dock in Čikat, one of the most beautiful bays on the island. The boats would pull up by the Annunziata church in Mali Lošinj, where the crew would disembark and pray the rosary with their family members before saying goodbye.
It is precisely at this very spot, as a symbol of tradition, love and loyalty, that Croatia’s most touching sculpture called “Addio” has proudly stood since 2022. Cast in bronze and 178 centimetres tall, it is dedicated to Marija Stuparić, the wife of Captain Aldebrand Petrina, and it depicts her waving goodbye to her husband as he sails off into the distance, just as other Lošinj wives have done for decades, sending off their beloved sailors.
“Addio, my beloved (Addio, moj ljubljeni),” Marija whispered into the wind and waved her white handkerchief towards the sailing ship, which was slowly but surely disappearing on the horizon. She would then return to the church of the Annunciation (Annunziata), where she would pray once more for her beloved husband’s safe return.
Her husband is remembered to this day as one of the greatest captains in the maritime history of Lošinj, and his successes on sailing ships at the beginning of the 20th century greatly contributed to the glory of the merchant navy of the then Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the sculpture “Addio” is a monument dedicated to all wives of sailors, the initials M. S. on the scarf belong to the self-effacing Marija.
Aldebrando and Marija were happily married for 32 years, but they only spent 13 months together in their Lošinj home. The loyal wives of Croatian sailors had to be brave, strong-minded, self-sacrificing, persistent, patient and ready for anything. While their husbands sailed, they took care of the household and raised the children themselves. That is why this wonderful monument is a dedication to them, as well as to the rich maritime heritage of Lošinj.
Zvonimira Obad, a brilliant and exceptionally talented academic sculptor and the author of Croatia’s most touching sculpture, imagined it as a woman whose costume is layered and lost in space, as if carried away by the wind or as if it had been metaphorically blown through her. In this way, she wanted to vividly portray the heavy burden that every sailor’s wife had to carry while their husbands were away.
In order to preserve the valuable memory of Lošinj’s maritime and shipbuilding past, the island also created “Salute to the Captain”, a unique staged representation of the farewell of sailors, which is held every September in front of the Annunziata Church as part of the “Losinava” festival. This is the perfect way to discover the stories, skills and customs that have shaped the identity of beautiful Lošinj.
