Lastovo

Lastovo sits about 13 km south of Korčula, in the Dubrovnik-Neretva county, and it’s one of the more remote inhabited islands in the Adriatic — which is exactly why it still feels untouched. The wider archipelago counts 46 islands and islets in total, including Sušac, Prežba, Mrčara and the Lastovnjaci group.

The island has been through a lot of hands: Illyrian and Roman settlement, control by the medieval state of Zahumlje in the 11th–12th centuries, a claim by Hungarian-Croatian kings, and finally annexation by the Republic of Dubrovnik in 1252. By 1310 it had its own statute and a degree of self-governance.

Lastovo Town itself is built up a hillside in an amphitheatre shape rather than down by the water — a defensive choice dating back to repeated pirate raids, including one in 998 that flattened the earlier coastal settlement. The houses are topped with fumari, ornate stone chimneys, no two decorated alike, a small point of pride that’s survived for centuries.

In 2006 the government made the island and its surrounding waters a Nature Park, protecting more than 700 recorded plant species. It’s also become known for something you can’t see during the day: exceptionally low light pollution has made Lastovo one of the best places in Europe to see the Milky Way with the naked eye, and the island is now pushing for official Dark Sky Park status.

Between the archipelago’s quiet bays, the old town, and the night sky, Lastovo is worth a visit if you're chartering a gulet from Dubrovnik.