This issue (November 2007) of Islands magazine features an enticing article on remote Vis Island, giving the island a well-deserved boost of publicity. Writer Jeff Greenwald started his Croatia island journey on better-known Korcula Island, staying in the Hotel Korcula. After listening to local tales of the Marco Polo-Korcula connection (islanders are convinced the legendary explorer was born in Korcula Town) the writer heads out to farther shores, that is, Vis Island.

“It is impossible to be bored on Vis” writes Greenwald. True enough. Just scuba diving through Vis’s fascinating underwater life, replete with ancient amphorae, shipwrecks, sponges and fish is an exploration of the island’s remarkable historical and natural heritage.

“No guidebook can account for the breathless, suspended feeling I get exploring Vis” writes Greenwald who made his way to both Vis Town and Komiza, the two main island villages. Staying in the Hotel Tamaris in Vis Town, Greenwald notes the difference in attitudes between the rival villages, finding Vis Town more artsy and Komiza with more of a fishermen’s feel.

Instead of doing the touristy thing and boating out to the Blue Cave of Bisevo, Greenwald visits Vis’s local celebrity, sculptor “Ico” Bulic whose whimsical wood and frond fish sculptures have already created a splash (sorry) in Zagreb. His description of the solitary, lighthouse-dwelling artist with “a resemblance to George Clooney” should do wonders both for Bulic’s social life and the Vis Island tourist business.

For those who want to sample more of Croatia, the article points out a number of interesting products: Vis Island wine, Brac Island marble, Hvar Island lavendar, and lobster from Mljet Island. There’s even a sidebar on the sponges from Krapanj Island.

Sadly, this article is not available online.

Read more about Croatia’s islands.