Olympic Gold Medallist to Swim in Faros Marathon in Stari Grad

One of Dalamtia's most challenging and internationally recognised sporting events takes place on the island of Hvar on Saturday August 31, when the 38th Faros Marathon will be once again hosted by the town of Stari Grad. 

The marathon, a 16 km swimathon from Croatia's oldest town to the tip of the Kabal Peninsula and back, is one of the world's most challenging races, and continues to attract some big names to take part. This year's field has been boosted with the confirmation that reigning Olympic champion Oussana Mellouli will be taking part. 

The race itself starts at 08:00 from the harbour by the courthouse, with the first swimmers returning some time after 11:00. Learn more about one of Dalamtia's most important sporting traditions on the official website, or take a tour of the day in the video below.  

Visiting Dalmatia Later This Year? Full Off-Season Jadrolinija Timetable

While tourism in Dalmatia is mostly focused on the summer months, there is plenty of interest out of the peak season months, and with the cooler temperature, Central Dalmatia is an attractive option for a late season break or holiday. The beaches may not be so crowded or water so enticing, but there is plenty to discover away from the beach all year. 

Jadrolinija has published its winter timetable, which is now available in full below. The national ferry company runs two timetables annually, the current summer schedule from June 1 - September 30, and a reduced service which comes into effect on October 1. Useful information when planning that late season visit. 

Unusual Dalmatian Sports: Glavomet... or Headball

Dalmatia is well-known for having a range of unique games, and the summer months offer a good chance to watch and even take part.

Probably the most famous game is called picigin, which is played in shallow water, most famously at Bacivce beach in Split, where the objective of the game is to keep a small ball in the air for as long as possible. Frantic efforts to keep the ball airborne lead to some spectacular diving, and picigin is well established as part of the Split scene.

Not far away, on Firule beach, there is another unusual and unique sport called glavomet - or headball. As the name suggests, the only part of the body to make contact with the ball is the head. There are two teams of two in shallow water, with two goals, and the aim is to score as many goals as possible in the opposing goal.

Check out the video below for more of a visual explanation, or head to Firule beach on Sunday August 25 from 10:00 to watch the glavomet championship taking place - it is very competitive!

One of the Events of the Summer: The Pirate Battle of Omis!

Want to see some real life pirates in action? Then head to Omis this Sunday evening for the seventh annual reenactment of a 13th century battle in the city harbour.

Omis has a rich and proud pirate tradition. Located on the mouth of the might Cetina, with its numerous fortresses, it was the perfect location for pirates in times gone by, as the Cetina provided them with escape routes where they could use their local knowledge. 

The reenactment is very spectacular and will take place at 20:30 on Sunday August 18, with all the participants parading before that. This year's festivities will also include guest historical societies from Dubrovnik, Klis and Korcula. It is not clear if the most famous pirate of them all, Johnny Depp, will be attending, as he was invited to last year's event.

A Return to Roman Times: Days of Diocletian in Split

While you may have thought that all you need for a holiday in Split is a couple of bikinis and party dresses for evening fun, if you really want to blend in as a local in the next few days, you need to get your hands on a Roman toga.

Days of Diocletian is upon us, an annual event where the rich Roman cultural heritage of the city is celebrated in some theatrical style. From the Split Tourist Board:

Days of Diocletian

This fun musical costumed event (from 16.8. to 19.8) is the historical event that will show a credible way the rule of Emperor Diocletian in Split with all the essential features of this period. The streets and squares will line up of the Roman legions, the Emperor Diocletian, together with the parade of carriages lead the Roman legions from the waterfront to greet the Peristyle where the crowd, will present a co-ruler Diocletian and family and the city will be able to hear the sounds of trumpets, drummers, Roman music ...

The Wall Street Journal Sails Down the Dalmatian Coast

 

With its pristine water, plethora of islands, fantastic gastronomy and rich heritage, it is little wonder that sailing holidays in Dalmatia are proving ever more popular. Word about the joys of sailing along the Adriatic coast is slowly getting out, with the influential Wall Street Journal the latest international publication to report bacl on the magic of a holiday on the seas of Dalmatia:

HEADING INTO A BIG sea on a small sailboat unleashes the nautical poet in a man. That, anyway, is my justification for leaping to the foredeck and bracing myself against the rigging, "Master and Commander"-style, to bellow lines from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

"Water, water, every where/Nor any drop to drink," I manage, before memory fails me. I crawl back along the bouncing deck to the cockpit, where my wife has the helm.

"Too early for a beer, then?" she says.

We have chartered a 33-foot yacht out of Kremik Marina on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast and, within minutes of casting off, the nerves associated with commandeering somebody else's $100,000 vessel have been swept overboard by a wave of euphoria. Read more... 

The Famous Sinj Alka: The Children's Version

One of the most important cultural events in the Dalmatian summer calendar is the Sinj Alka, an annual knights' tournament which in 2015 will be celebrating 300 years of the defeat of the Ottomans after the Siege of Sinj in 1715. This year's event once more welcomed the Croatian President Ivo Josipović and General Ante Gotovina, and was son for the third time by Ante Zorica. You can read more about the day here.

And from August 16-18, there will be the children's version - take a look at the pictures above to give you an idea. It promises to be a special few days. It is just half an hour by car from Split, or just under an hour on the regular bus. By way of explanation, we turn to the Sinj Tourist Board once more...

Children's Alka Tournament of Vučkovići

In memory of their ancestors Father Pavao, Bože, Tadija and Zec, whose heroism and bravery made them become prominent in the decisive battle against the Ottomans in 1715, the people in the hamlet of Vučkovići (Brnaze near Sinj) instituted in 1955 their Alka Tournament in which only children can participate. The Children’s Alka was naturally instituted following the example of the famous Alka of Sinj.

In the Children’s Alka of Vučkovići, boys up to 10 years of age run on their feet. Their Alka squires are elderly local people, whereas those oldest from the hamlet play the roles of the Alka Court of Honour and the Alka Tournament Master (alkarski vojvoda). In the Children’s Alka procession the standard-bearer rides a horse, a donkey is a symbol of edek (the Pasha’s horse) and the Tournament Master’s adjutant carries the sabre of the hero Bože Vučković.

As the right to participate in the Tournament only belongs to children from the hamlet of Vučkovići, the little Alkari have interesting nicknames: Wolf, Horned Viper, Biter, Hairbreadth, Additional Number, Live Wire, Scatterbrain, Bumblebee, Beetling Brows, Friar, The Apple of Gramps’s Eye...

Unique and an attraction in itself, the Children’s Alka Tournament of Vučkovići has been outside the scope of ordinary local festivities and nowadays it makes a precious and unique experience to all visitors, just like the true Alka of Sinj.

The ceremony of the Children's Alka Tournament of Vučkovići lasts for three days.

Bara – Friday 16 August at 6 p.m.
Čoja – Saturday 17 August at 6 p.m.
Alka – Sunday 18 August at 5.30 p.m.

FREE ENTRANCE

For more information visit the Sinj Tourist Board website, www.visitsinj.com