The view from Vidova Gora over the channel islands

Viewpoint & Hermitage

Vidova Gora & Blaca

Brač · Central Dalmatia

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CATEGORY: Viewpoint & Hermitage
COUNTRY: Croatia
REGION: Brač · Central Dalmatia
DURATION: 1–2 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Vidova Gora rises 778 metres above Bol — the highest point of any island in the Adriatic — with Zlatni Rat directly below and Hvar, Vis and on clear days Italy on the horizon; the road from Bol makes the summit a half-hour drive. Below the southern cliffs hides Blaca: a hermitage founded in the 16th century by Glagolitic monks fleeing the Ottomans, carved into a karst cave and furnished over centuries with an observatory, a library of 11,000 books and the third most powerful telescope in Croatia. UNESCO placed Blaca on its tentative list in 2007.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

Glagolitic priests from Poljica settled the Blaca cave in 1551 and built over four centuries a self-sufficient hermitage — church, school, wine cellar, printing room, and the astronomy of the last monk, Niko Miličević, who died in 1963. Vidova Gora carries the karst pastures and dry-stone shelters of the island shepherds, the other half of Brač’s story.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

The summit panorama over the horn and the islands.

The Blaca hermitage (a 90-minute hike or a boat from the Blaca cove).

The karst pastures and dry-stone shelters of the mountain.

GOOD TO KNOW

Facts & Curiosities

Vidova Gora (778 m) is the highest peak of any island in the Adriatic.

The view takes in Zlatni Rat, Hvar, Vis — and Italy on clear days.

The Blaca hermitage (16th century) was carved into a cliff cave by Glagolitic monks — library, observatory and the third most powerful telescope in Croatia.

UNESCO placed Blaca on its World Heritage tentative list in 2007.

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

It is the highest island viewpoint in the Adriatic — and the Blaca cave-monastery is one of Croatia’s strangest cultural sites.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

Access

The summit road starts at Bol (30 min by car); the Blaca trail needs good shoes and water.

Best Time

Morning for clear air; sunset turns the horn golden below.

Pairing

Zlatni Rat in the morning, the summit in the afternoon.

THROUGH THE LENS

From the road

MAP & LOCATION