July the 5th, 2025 – Think you’ve heard or read everything thanks to the trusty Internet? Think again. There are still plenty of stories that are passed on in the old fashioned way. Teo Tomić chose to spend his retirement years on the glorious island of Šolta, telling stories you won’t hear anywhere else.
In the modern age, information is at our very fingertips, whenever and wherever we want it. The art of storytelling however will never die, and now more than ever, people appreciate the slower, older way of doing many things. Hearing stories told by those who know how to do it best is a balm for the soul. Teo on Šolta is a fantastic ambassador for the craft of storytelling.
As Putni kofer writes, did you know that each spike on a carob is identical in size and was once used to measure diamonds? I bet you didn’t realise that the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his fishpond in a bay with healing mud, possibly because he suffered from some sort of troublesome rheumatic disease. In a bay known as “Gluha uvala” (literally, deaf bay) a Croatian writer whose works were read by Thomas Moore and other greats of the time once lived. These are just some of the interesting and lesser-known details that can be learned from Teo Tomić on Šolta. His stories are branded with the title “A Little Story of the Sea/Mala priča o moru” are alluring to all those seeking information they simply won’t learn elsewhere.
A boat ride from Rogač to Nečujam and Piškera Bay led by Teo Tomić reveals lesser-known stories about the island, Emperor Diocletian, old local customs and the various inhabitants of Škoj. Teo takes four to five people out on his boat in Rogač. The numbers are small and the tour is intimate in order for a true connection to be established. The group then head to Nečujam and Piškera Bay, as Teo tells hardly know, very interesting stories that definitely can’t be found on Google or from other, more typical tour guides carrying poles with socks or rather bedraggled teddy bears stuck to the end of them.
When the boat sets off from Rogač, guests learn about the winds that plague the Croatian coast (bura, jugo, maestral etc) and how they both burden and shape island life. They’ll learn details about carob, the plant after which that little island location is named. They’ll also get much acquainted with the surroundings and details of the astonishingly beautiful landscape that opens up before them.
Upon arrival in Nečujam, a place with no less than seven bays, Teo reveals how it got its name. Vallis surda (Gluha uvala), the deaf bay, has always been a safe anchorage for ships. It is peaceful, with no gusts of wind, and that is why sailors have loved it since ancient times. They also learn about Marko Marulić, who once lived on Šolta, and whose works were read by all kinds of famous contemporaries.
The watery path of Teo’s boat and his guests continues to Piškera Bay, where the story of Emperor Diocletian begins, with a series of lesser-known details. In addition to the sunken fishponds of Diocletian’s that can still be seen today, there’s also medicinal mud. Teo has known about this mud since his youth, as local people from Šolta used them often. With his colourful story, Teo takes guests back to the time when villas owned by wealthy Romans decorated the Croatian coast and islands, and fig, carob and olive groves adorned this island. Few know there was also once a busy brick factory on Šolta.
From Piškera, Teo’s boat sets off back to Rogač, with less of a formal programme on the agenda. Teo crowns everyone with a laurel wreath, and if they’re interested, before returning to their destination they can see the fishing boats and learn how the islanders still fish today.
Teo Tomić has been connected to gorgeous Šolta all his life. His mother was born on the island, and he himself has lived there permanently since 1988. He passes on his true and eternal love for the island to visitors who leave his tours richer for a genuinely unique experience and stories that they will remember for a long time.
