We are delighted to welcome Jelena Tamindzija to the TCN team on March 3, 2017. Jelena will be working primarily on our Total Dubrovnik site, which will go live later this month. As part of her interview, we asked Jelena to write about 5 places that most tourists miss in Dubrovnik.
While losing valuable time in the queues to visit Dubrovnik crowded tourist attractions or while looking for a free table at that Instagrammable restaurant you spotted this morning, it might happen you miss some hidden gems located just a stone’s throw away from your apartment. Total Dubrovnik brings you a list of 5 things that you might not find in your itinerary (yet!). It’s time to impress your travel buddy with some serious local knowledge!
1. Portrait Dubrovnik
If anyone ever tells you that you can’t have everything in life, just grab their hand and take them to Portrait Dubrovnik: a unique mix of a concept store, bistro and museum hidden in a garden within the walls of Orthodox church in the Old Town. With a menu made by the gifted chef Jeffrey Vella promising some serious seduction of your taste buds, impeccable and eclectic décor combining of the city’s past and modern touch coupled with a top-notch service, you get a winning formula that translates into a truly unique experience.
2. Barbershop by Mr. Čikato
Whether you’ve been backpacking around Europe for almost all summer so your unshaven face would make you a great candidate for the new Robin Hood movie audition or you just want to check out the only old school barbershop in Dubrovnik, Mr. Čikato is waiting for you with his wide selection of clippers, trimmers, home-made soaps and oils accumulated over the long period. The interior of the barbershop brings to mind the bygone era of small artisanal shops and once you enter here you feel like being part of a cropped scene from silent movies. Men come here to socialize in all male environment on a weekly or daily basis and to catch up with all the rumours and gossips circling in the town. And you thought gossiping was just a woman’s thing? Pfff.
3. Monastery and church of St. Mary of Mercy, Danče
Situated just 200m from the Old Town but away from the hustle and bustle of the city, this votive church, also known as Crkva sv. Marije na Dančama, is famous for housing two Gothic and Renaissance altarpiece works by Croatian masters Lovro Dobričević and Nikola Božidarević. The monastery is known for centuries-old tradition of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception greeting sailors who were embarking on the grand voyages and wishing them a peaceful sea and a safe return to their hometown by ringing of church bells.
4. Park Orsula
Even though the well-known Park Orsula Music Festival that was held for five years in a row is not going to present its program for the upcoming summer due to the management problems, this site set on a cliff 200 meters above the sea is definitely worth paying a visit. The new park, a result of the hard work of the Festival founder Andro Vidak, is named after the 14th-century chapel of St. Orsula, patron saint of virgins and virginal virtue. The chapel was built on a slippery hillside next to the old Dubrovnik caravan road. During the day it offers a stunning view of the Old City and the islands while the night turns it into a beautiful postcard-worthy fusion of the Old Town harbor lights, stars and ships.
5. Dubrovnik Summer Villas
The Republic of Dubrovnik was aristocratic republic where population was divided into three classes: nobility, citizens and plebeians. The noble families of Dubrovnik lived in the Old Town where all the main institutions were located, but spent their summer in the Renaissance villas outside the city walls. This countryside escape was an opportunity to have the casual conversations with the invited group of friends, but also a chance to culturally enrich the landowner, a truly Renaissance man: the owner would often invite philosophers, writers, scientists and artists to discuss the recent innovations in the arts and sciences. Most of these villas were located along the shores of Gruž bay or Rijeka Dubrovačka. Highly recommended: Sorkočević villa in Rijeka Dubrovačka, Gučetić villa at Trsteno and Sorkočević villa on the southern side of Gruž harbor.
