Sutvara Island
Sutvara, a small island with one of the best beaches in the Korčula archipelago and remains of antique crafts. Located 5 kilometres south-East of Korcula Old Town and 2.6 km from Lumbarda, this uninhabited islet is named after a small church that used to be here called St Barbara (corrupted to Sutvara).
Measuring just under one square kilometre in surface area, with some 1300 m coastlines, this lovely island is one of the few ones in the archipelago that contains vineyards still in use owned by families from Lumbarda.
A former site of a stone quarry that stretches back to Roman times, the island has a jetty that is accessible for bigger boats. Many day trippers favour the destination due to its beautiful beach, shelter from the wind and the remains of a Mediterranean lifestyle still visible here.
Relaxing and Swimming
Mooring the boat at the concrete quay allows you to visit the northern side of the island. The short walk along the shoreline, while facing the larger island of Badija brings you to a shaded section that looks onto a beach.
Here you can relax on the shingle beach to swim, snorkel and sunbathe. It is also suitable for children. The shingle beach with its large, sea-drenched pebbles unconsciously pays tribute to the stone quarrying that used to take place on the island.
The pines and the shaded area which is a great place to relax after a day of island hopping. Get there early in the summer to get the best spot for the rest of the day.
Walking along towards the southern side, you will come across a sheltered bay. This is a good spot to hide from the Maestral wind in the afternoon if you are there with a smaller boat.
Snorkelling around the island gives the opportunity to see the rich maritime life of the Škoji archipelago.
Popular Routes: Split to Korcula, Korcula to Split, Dubrovnik to Korcula, Korcula to Dubrovnik
Not far from the island is a small reef called Škrpinjak. Measuring no more than a few meters across, it makes a nice goal to swim to, although climbing on it will require maritime footwear due to its jagged rocks. Yet the stone on the island did not remain jagged forever as you will find out if you take a short excursion into the forest.
Roman Quarry
Before you leave the island, visit the remains of the Roman quarry, one of the three remaining in the Korčula archipelago that was used since antiquity.
An overgrown path just above the jetty leads into the forest to a cave-like structure. Here stone was extracted in large blocs (or ‘picked’-brat kamen in the local parlance).
Dalmatian limestone such as that extracted here was an important source of construction and sculptural material on this side of the Adriatic. Demand for this gleaming type reached a peak in the 15-16th century, during which most of the buildings in the historic town of Korčula were built.
It takes a certain amount of imagination to envisage the laborious work that involved creating dining table-sized blocks that were then pulled down to the jetty, loaded on boats and taken to various stonemason workshops in the area such as Vrnik.
Once you get back to Korcula, try to guess which of the buildings were constructed from Sutvara stone!
Map
What to see and do
- Pristine shingle beaches for swimming and sunbathing
- Visit the remains of a Roman-era quarry
How to get there
- Hire a boat from Korčula town or from Lumbarda.
- Take a water taxi from either Korcula or Lumbarda
- If you have your own boat, secure mooring is available for bigger boats
