Šolta Island - Diocletian's favorite fishpond

Šolta island is one of the places where you can recharge your energy without spending a lot. This interesting and small island is perfect for one-day stay, but also more days if you choose it as your port for next adventures. Located only nine nautical miles from Split, Šolta Island stands alone and maybe in the shadow of its big "neighbors" - Hvar and Brač or even Vis. But Šolta is proud of its domestic products, crystal clear sea and being a Diocletian's favorite fishpond.

Back in time

Šolta was inhabited since the prehistory and was first mentioned in the 4th century BC. Today, we can see many traces that prove the Roman presence here - the ruins of Roman countryside villas (villa rusticae) and early Christian basilicas. Back in the 3rd century AD, the first emperor of the late Roman Empire - Diocletian was ruling from Split. The story has it that Diocletian's favorite place for fishing was Nečujam. And I can believe in this story because the Adriatic Sea is rich with fish, while Šolta Island is the closest one to Split and Nečujam is beautiful, green and above all - quiet. Nečujam means "deaf" since each sound here converts into a whisper. 

Šolta today

Šolta becomes more and more popular. Tourism is pretty well-developed now. To reach the island, you have six ferries per day and one catamaran - speed boat, all that from Split. The ride takes less than an hour on a ferry and around 30 minutes on a catamaran. Definitely, it is much faster than nine hours, how much Diocletian's servants had to paddle to reach his favorite fishpond. When you are on Šolta, you will be able to go for domestic wine tasting, homemade honey tasting, domestic olive oil tasting, etc. You name it. And, by the way, the olive trees are 1000 years old here, and its olive oil is one of the most famous ones. 

Architecture is typical Dalmatian - stone houses and stone roads. Inhabited villages are Maslinica (on the west side), Rogač (the main port), Nečujan, Grohote (the largest settlement on the island). The southern coast is inhabited, but its comb-like shore is hiding a lot of interesting beaches and little natural bays. Close to Šolta's northern shore, seven smaller islets are located - a natural wonder that is definitely worth visiting, if you are lucky to own a boat. Even if that is not the case, smiled locals will gladly take you for a ride around those islets.

Šolta doesn't have big settlements, huge cathedrals, shopping streets or large restaurant choice. Everything here is modest and peaceful. In the end, I'd recommend hiking or cycling around the island, since it's a smaller one, and you can always take a break by jumping into crystal clear water. Enjoy like an emperor and come to visit Šolta Island, and check why this was Diocletian's favorite fishpond.