Cross Bearer Square

Despite being filed under Hvar Town, this square is actually in Jelsa, a separate harbor town on the north side of Hvar island. Known as Trg Krizonoša — Cross-Bearers' Square — it's named for the cross-bearers (krizonoše) who lead Hvar island's Za Križen procession, a Holy Thursday tradition running for roughly 500 years that was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009.

Each Maundy Thursday night, cross-bearers from six villages linked to Jelsa's parish walk through the dark carrying a veiled wooden cross weighing at least 12 kilos, visiting a series of churches before the processions converge here. The square holds a statue by Croatian sculptor Kuzma Kovačić, dedicated to the generations of men who've carried out the tradition.

Outside of Easter week, it's a quiet corner of a quiet town — a good stop if you're island-hopping and thinking about chartering a gulet in Croatia to see towns like Jelsa that most land-based itineraries skip.