Brač

Brač is the largest Dalmatian island and the closest to Split — about fifty minutes by ferry — and the easiest Croatian island to reach. One beach made it internationally known: **Zlatni Rat**, a white pebble spit running out into the sea that changes shape with the current and the wind. But the island is far more than that. What genuinely distinguishes it is **stone**. Brač's white limestone has been quarried here since Roman times, and **Diocletian's Palace** in Split was built from it, along with buildings in Venice and Budapest — and it is said, without conclusive proof, that it went into the White House in Washington. In the town of **Pučišća** a **stone-carving school** still operates, where students learn with a chisel. The interior is dry and mountainous: **Vidova Gora**, at 778 metres, is the highest point on any Adriatic island, and from it Hvar and Vis are visible on a clear day. Note: the island is large and its roads are mountainous — do not assume everything is close.