Island of secrets

THE ISLAND OF VIS is one of the largest and furthest islands in the group of central Dalmatian islands. It is situated 45 km from land and is separated from the island of Hvar by the 18 km wide Vis Channel. Vis is connected to Split and Hvar (year round) via regular ferry lines, and in the summer season, also to Ancona on the Italian coast.

CLIMATE The island has dry and hot summers and mild and wet winters. The island belongs to the Adriatic type of the Mediterranean climate. The average summer temperature is one to two degrees lower than on the mainland, and two to three degrees higher in winter. The medium annual temperature is above 18oC. The medium sea temperature is around 17oC.

POPULATION The largest settlements on the island are Vis on the eastern coast and Komiza on the western coast of the island.

WINE-GROWING The sandy island soil best suits the development of wine-growing, making the Vis wines among the best in Dalmatia. The queen of wines - Vugava was born as the result of grape loving attitude. It is made from the grape sort of the same name, which grows exclusively in localities of the Vis wine region. It is produced as the famed dry wine and stands out due to its natural golden colour. It has a specific aroma which is subtle, deep and full. It is easily recognizable by its luxuriously full honey flavour. Plavac is by far the best known wine sort, a high quality sort of grape and wine. The best quality Plavac comes from the sandy fields of Bisevo.

FISHING The second largest economic branch on the island is fishing, due to the exceptionally rich sea fauna around the island. Historically speaking, the Komisa fisherman have dominated the Adriatic archipelago for centuries, and the result was the construction of the best fishing ship – the falkusa – dated from 17th century. This ship was in the service right up until the 1950s, and the last falkuša was traditionally burned in Komiza in 1989, in honour of the patron saint of sailors, St. Mikula. Construction of the island’s oldest fish processing factory began in Komiza in 1890. Though it can be said that fishing has played a key role in the survival of the local population in the past as well as the present, in the past ten years only 9 professional fishermen have been registered in Vis, and about 50 in Komiza.

TOURISM The island turned towards tourism thanks to its exceptional natural predisposition when it came out of isolation since the early 1990s. With the highest number of sunny days of all the Croatian islands, its beautiful beaches, the unique Blue Cave on the neighbouring island of Biševo and the sea that is pleasantly warm for swimming up till the end of September, increasing numbers of tourists are attracted to Vis each year.