Korčula

Korčula is an old town on a peninsula of the island of the same name, encircled by walls dating from the 13th to the 15th century and crisscrossed by narrow streets that branch out like a fishbone — an urban planning trick designed to shield the town from the bora wind on one side and the maestral on the other. The town is home to just over 5,700 inhabitants, while the island's interior is covered with vineyards of the indigenous Pošip variety, whose tasting rooms are easily reached by bus in about twenty minutes. Moreška — a ritual sword-fighting duel performed continuously since the 16th century — is the only such tradition to have survived in the Mediterranean, and watching it in front of the Land Gate at a summer dusk is a genuinely memorable experience. May, June, and September are the months when the sea is warm, the restaurants are open, and the narrow streets are passable.