Sights to see, places to visit (Ston, Croatia) / Znamenitosti za vidjeti, mjesta za posjetiti ( Ston, Hrvatska)

Hello and welcome to another feature of 'Sights to see, Places to Visit'. It's been a while since my last one. Anyway, today I'm taking you to Ston, a small but fascinating city in vicinity of Dubrovnik. Ston is both a city and the name of a municipality that consists of a number of small villages, including Mali Ston ( meaning Little Ston) that is located in immediate vicinity. One could even say that it is connected with this city. 

Ston is mainly known for its famous Walls, also known as the European Wall of China. Originally more than 7 km long, the Walls of Ston surround the Ston city and were (as you might guess) build to protect the city. Why the city needed so much protection, you might ask? Two words: Salt works. 

 That brings us to is second attraction which are the still operating salt works. Ston has the oldest salt works ( saltern) in Mediterranean (possibly even in the whole Europe).  At the time the city walls were build, Ston belonged to the Republic of Dubrovnik, but foreigners often attacted the city trying to steal its salt, which at times, was measured by its weight in gold. So, in efforts to defend its salt works the Republic of Dubrovnik build a whole network of defense- but we'll leave that talk for some other time.

Ston city was modeled on Dubrovnik city.  Not surprising, since this city was build, maintained and protected by the Republic of Dubrovnik.  Today the Walls are 5.5 km long and in a shape of pentagon. Within the Walls, there are fifteen blocks, each consisting of ten houses. Two most notable buildings to see are the Bishop's Palace and The Republic Chancellery. 

The church you see behind me (on the first photograph and many others to come) was badly damaged in the earthquake in the nineties. The church is dedicated to Saint Blaise, who is also a patron saint of Dubrovnik. This is actually the third church build at this exact place. The first two churches were destroyed in an earthquake. We shall hope the third time the charm.

Believe it or not, this was actually my first visit to Ston city. I always wanted to go, but only recently I finally got the opportunity. We went there on the 1st of May. A friends of ours decided to go there on a whim. When called us asked us whether we would like to join them,we got ready in a half an hour and headed there. It was a lovely sunny day. Exactly as one imagines the first of May ought to be. I wore a casual outfit because we planned to do a lot of walking. I have had this ruffled shirt for ages, but I never seem to get tired of it. So, I paired it with this silver skirt and biker boots. I think it was a pretty good outfit for an active day. I felt dressed up, but not overdresses. Anyway, we didn't end up visiting the famous Walls, but we  enjoyed a fabulous lunch and went for a stroll in Little Ston (more about that in my next post). There were so many tourists everywhere! I guess that everyone knows about this place.

Another thing Ston is famous for is its cuisine, most notably sea food. There are a dozen of seafood restaurants in Ston city. The one we ate in was marvelous, the dishes were delicious and the service was very friendly. If you visit this city and decide to dine there, you must try sea food. I couldn't  fully enjoy it for health reasons, I only had a little bite to taste it...and it was delicious. I admire my strength of will...It took a lot of will strength not to eat it all. I actually ordered a tuna salad and it was yummy but still I envied my husband who ate about a kilo of seafood. 

Finally, the salt works. I do recommend visiting them. They are not only beautiful but educational. Salt in Ston is of exceptional quality. My husband always says it is the best in world. I can attest to that, but it is probably the best salt one can find in Croatia. Thank you for reading!

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