Solta Island

Šolta is a Croatian island in the central Dalmatian archipelago, a short ferry ride from Split and known to the Romans as Solentium. It covers 58.98 square kilometres, rises to 238 metres at Vela Straža, and had 1,975 residents at the 2021 census.

The island's eight villages each keep their own character. Grohote, the oldest and largest, is Šolta's administrative and economic centre, with a market, supermarkets, a pharmacy and a resident doctor. Maslinica, on the western tip, grew up around the fortified manor Martinis Marchi, now converted into a hotel with a marina for about 60 boats. Stomorska, on the east coast, keeps the feel of an old fishing harbour, while Nečujam, Rogač, Gornje Selo, Donje Selo and Srednje Selo make up the island's smaller settlements.

Farming and fishing still shape daily life alongside tourism: olive groves, vineyards and fruit orchards cover much of the interior. Šolta's best-known product is Dobričić, an indigenous red grape that DNA analysis has shown to be one of the original ancestors of California's Zinfandel. Its sheltered bays, from Maslinica and Rogač to Nečujam and Sesula, make the island a classic stop on a Split blue cruise itinerary.