Bol

Bol is the oldest settled town on the island of Brač, sitting on its southern coast at the foot of Vidova Gora, the highest peak of the Adriatic islands. According to the 2021 census the town itself has around 1,656 residents. Its name is generally traced to the Latin word vallum, a hint at how far back its history runs.

The bay was already used as shelter by Illyrian tribes before the 2nd century BC, and the Romans later built villas and estate buildings along this stretch of coast. Bol appears to have been destroyed during an Arab raid in 872, then rebuilt over the following centuries as part of the medieval Croatian state. Under Venetian rule in the 15th century the town took on much of the harbor front it still shows today, including a 15th-century palace with Gothic windows facing the water and two Renaissance-era coastal towers, alongside the Dominican Monastery. Inside the monastery's church of Our Lady of Mercy — rebuilt in its current Baroque form in 1641 — the main altar holds a painting attributed to the Venetian master Jacopo Tintoretto.

Unlike most other settlements on Brač, which were traditionally built inland away from pirate raids, Bol grew as a single line of houses strung directly along the shore. The town is also known for Plavac Mali red wine; the Stina winery still operates from a building put up in 1903 by what is described as the oldest winemakers' guild in Dalmatia.

With its long harbor and easy access from the mainland, Bol has become a popular stop for gulet charter guests exploring Split and the wider Central Dalmatian islands.