Master filigree jeweler Viktor Čivljak has a gentle and humble manner despite regularly wielding blow torches and hammers in his making of Old World jewelry. It turns out that the 73-year-old Split, Croatia jeweler also has a penchant for survival, something that we would learn while spending a Saturday afternoon with him, watching step-by-step how to make a pair of intricate filigree silver earrings. ViktorContinue reading “Silver Legacies: The Making of Croatian Filigree Jewelry”
Category Archives: Croatia
Visiting Croatia’s Mighty Klis Fortress
For two thousand years, Croatia’s Klis Fortress (Kliška Tvrđava) has held a coveted position among Central Dalmatia‘s craggy landscape. The fortress has been the scene of dramatic battles over the millennia. In more recent years, it served as one of the filming locations for season 4 of Game of Thrones. Given its fabulous setting andContinue reading “Visiting Croatia’s Mighty Klis Fortress”
The Art of Making Croatian Filigree Jewelry – Split Croatia
When he was just 13 years old, Split jeweler Viktor Čivljak started learning the fine art of making filigree jewelry from his father, a second-generation jeweler. Today, the 73-year-old master jeweler incorporates breathtaking designs into entirely-handmade brooches, bracelets, earrings, hair pins, pendants and rings. Seemingly spun out of delicate silver thread, Viktor also creates cuff-links, decorative spoonsContinue reading “The Art of Making Croatian Filigree Jewelry – Split Croatia”
Split, Croatia in Black and White
One of our first nights in Split, an older gentleman dressed in a trench-coat approached us on the cobbled streets of the city’s old town. “May I help you with something?” he asked in polished English that was subtly embellished with a Croatian accent. We explained that we were not lost, and that we wereContinue reading “Split, Croatia in Black and White”
Fresh Delights: A Cooking Class in Split, Croatia
Jakša Bedalov’s earliest winemaking memory was when he was just five years old. Tasked with cleaning his family’s fermentation room near the coastal Croatian city of Split, Jakša remembers his father pushing him so that he could squeeze into the small space. It was a challenging feat since he was a broad-shouldered child. “It was like beingContinue reading “Fresh Delights: A Cooking Class in Split, Croatia”
An Immersive Experience: Tasting Croatian Wine From Under the Sea
Lately, our Sunday afternoons have been overflowing with opportunities to learn about Croatian winemaking, thanks to our wine connoisseur friend, Srđan. Ever on the lookout for immersive travel opportunities, Shawn and I were introduced to a bottle of Zinfandel that had been aged under the Adriatic Sea for one year. How fitting given that Croatia is Zinfandel’sContinue reading “An Immersive Experience: Tasting Croatian Wine From Under the Sea”
The Fountains of Dubrovnik, Croatia
With stunning seaside views and streets overflowing with visitors, it might be easy to overlook Dubrovnik’s impressive Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Yet Dubrovnik’s quirky maskerons and fanciful flourishes adorning palaces and cathedrals, are the city’s defining elements, and they are details in which to delight. When it was a powerful city-state that rivaled the RepublicContinue reading “The Fountains of Dubrovnik, Croatia”
Croatian Food & Wine at 400 Meters: A Sunday in Split
In Croatia’s Dalmatia region, the people are warm, engaging, and generous with invitations to share a shot of rakia, a plate of pršut (dry-cured ham) or a hearty peka meal. Our Dalmatian friends are no different, and in the past weeks they’ve been keeping us entertained with things to do in Split. Let’s just say that Croatian foodContinue reading “Croatian Food & Wine at 400 Meters: A Sunday in Split”
Travels With Tricia 