Korčula and Pelješac in the moonlight

From the Franciscan Monastery of Gospe od Anđela, located above Orebić on the Pelješac peninsula on the coast of southern Dalmatia, you can marvel at a magnificent island panorama: with the mountain ranges of the Pelješac peninsula at your back, your gaze wanders over the islands of Korčula, Mljet and the many small islets in between. Naturally, this view is particularly popular around sunrise and sunset, when, for example, the Old Town of Korčula on the opposite island glows golden in the last rays of sunlight.

But soon after sunset, in the late evening, it became quieter in front of the church and the Renaissance pavilion. A bright, almost full moon followed the blue hour and bathed the archipelago in its soft silvery light. The brightly shining, colourful lights of the restaurants, bars and clubs in the towns and villages were reflected many times over by the water’s surface. Even the thumping bass and the melodies of the music from the clubs of Korčula were carried clearly audible across the sea until the morning. This place, both through the experience of a service in the church and this warm summer night, is certainly one of the highlights of the southern part of the journey along the Croatian Adriatic coast, with previous stops such as Cres, Lošinj, the Zadar archipelago or Split.

The Franciscan monastery was the starting point for my circular hike to the summit of Sv. Ilija. Since I wanted to arrive at the summit before sunrise, I had to set off around 2 am. Staying overnight at the monastery saved me the walk from the campsite on the other side of the town of Orebić, which meant I could sleep a little longer. This was also urgently needed, as time passed so quickly while taking photos that I didn’t go to sleep until around 11 pm. Unlike the hike up Mount Hum near Vela Luka, I didn’t want to oversleep this time and wanted to set off for the summit in good time.

More pictures in the Croatia gallery.