Maslinica Castle

Maslinica is a small harbour village on the western tip of the island of Šolta, and its castle — known today by the name of the family who built it, Martinis Marchi — is the settlement's landmark. In 1703, three brothers of the noble Marchi family received permission from the Venetian authorities to build a tower, a village and a church above the bay; the castle, its tower and surrounding walls were completed within about two years, built as a defence against Ottoman raids and the piracy that was still a real threat on the Adriatic at the time.

What sets the building apart today is its second life. Rather than standing as a static ruin, the castle now operates as the Martinis Marchi Heritage Hotel, with rooms and suites built into the original 18th-century walls alongside a restaurant and marina. It's a working example of a small Dalmatian fortification repurposed for hospitality rather than preserved as a museum piece.

Šolta sits within easy reach of the mainland, and for travellers already chartering a gulet from Trogir, Maslinica is a short sail away.