Pag. Private Apartments Vidolin, island Pag, Croatia EXCURSIONS ON PAG: THE OLD TOWN The Old town of Pag is located one kilometre from the town centre. So called Stari grad used to be a big and rich town, fortified by strong walls. A village named Košljun, on the west side of the island, was its port. Exploiting of the salt was the main occupation. There are numerous ruins of the old houses and the remains of the walls, roads and fortresses in the Old town. However, the best preserved are the parts of the Franciscan monastery and the Romanic church of Holy Mary. The church is mentioned for the first time in 1192. CASKA This is the territory on the extreme west end of the bay of Pag. It abounds in beautiful beaches. One can refresh in the villages nearby: Caska, Kustiæi, Zuboviæi and Metajna. It can be reached by boat or by car. It is approximately seven nautical miles from Pag. ST. JURAJ’S PEAK St. Juraj’s peak is located on a hill to the northwest of the town of Pag. It is easily recognizable from afar, because of a square structure on the top of it. Many historians believe there had been a hill-fort, a settlement of Neolithic people. However, the researcher Petar Ferdebar wrote in his book “Hiperija” that St. Juraj’s peak could be the shrine of the goddess Athena. St. Juraj’s peak can be reached on foot. The easiest way is to start from Bašaca because the climb is not steep and it is relatively short. St. Juraj’s peak gives magnificent view of Podvelebitski channel, mountain Velebit, the beach Malin and the bay Slana. VIDIKOVAC - GRADAC On the road from Pag to Novalja, after having climbed the hairpin bend, to the left, there is the belvedere Vidikovac. A sweeping view of the town is clearly visible from this plateau and many tourists use the occasion for taking photographs. Gradac is next to Vidikovac. There was a settlement of the Neolithic people here. The arrival of the enemies was easily controlled from this place. There are no many clearly visible remains on Gradina, but the place is very interesting and it offers a breathtaking view of Pag. Gradina was a part of the communicational transversal of the ancient man who travelled from the hinterland of Zadar, over Pag further to the northern part of Kvarner and Gorski Kotar hunting for food. Gradac is also interesting because of the investigations, conducted in order to explore the possibilities of the exploitation of gold in the 19th century. The stone was panned for that purpose. However, the research was suspended for unknown reasons at the beginning of the 20th century, in spite of the information that gold (in form of grains and dust) has been found. FORTICA Near the bridge of Pag (Ljubacka vrata), on the east end of the island are the remains of a former fortress. This was the point of patrolling and controlling the traffic of the ships. According to a legend, the settlers of Pag had seen the King Bela IV from the fortress, when he took refuge from the enemy in these parts. Fortica is located in a special landscape- sharp, bare rocky ground that resembles the surface of the Moon. It offers a beautiful view of Ljubacka vrata and the sea of Vir. PAG’S TRIANGLE Pag’s triangle is the name for an unusual imprint on the rocky ground, discovered on the hill Tusto èelo, in May 1999. Tusto èelo is located northwest of the town of Pag, not far from the ferry port Žigljen. It is a phenomenon, which attracts the attention of believers, alternative researchers of history and the UFO investigators. The geological researches have shown that the rocks inside Pag’s triangle are brighter than those outside of it are, and that after being exposed to the UV rays they emit red. The red colour is the proof that the rocks inside the triangle have been thermally treated. It is presumed that this imprint was made 12 000 years ago. Finding the triangle is relatively easy since there are signposts indicating the way from Žigljen and Novalja to the hill Tusto èelo. Around 30.000 people from around the world have visited Pag’s triangle since it has been discovered. VELO BLATO Velo blato is situated 10 km south of Pag. An asphalt road heading for Povljana can reach it. Velo blato is a protected Ornithological reserve of wading birds. This is the last place of this kind in Europe where this particular kind of birds flies down on their way to the South. There are freshwater fish in the lake of Velo blato Velo blato was one of the first fish farms in Europe, adapted for this purpose by the family Košcina. MALO BLATO This freshwater lake is situated approximately 10 km away from the town of Pag. The institutions in authority declared it a special ornithological reserve. BLATO ROGOZA Blato Rogoza is located near the village Kolan, on the western part of the island. It has been declared an ornithological reserve of protected wading birds, as well. SVETI VID Sv. Vid (342 m) is the highest point of the island. It offers a magnificent view of the island and its surroundings. It is located to the west of the town of Pag. The best place to start the climb is from the grove Dubrava. There is a sign pointing to the climb, but even when one is unable to find it, one can start the climb from any point at the foot of the hill since the path is not very difficult. ŠESTAKOVCI This is a group of cliffs on the north side of the island, towards the Velebit. They can be reached only by boat. They are six nautical miles away from Pag. Not far from Šestakovci, there is a beautiful and pleasant beach with thick shade and an improvised port for small boats in case of storm. The local waters are favourable for fishing. SLANA BAY The cove Slana can be reached by boat or on foot from Barbati. It s located on the northwest part of the island, at the edge of Paška vrata, that is to say, of the entrance to the bay of Pag from the side of Velebit. Slana has beautiful, long spacious, sandy beaches. Especially impressive is the visual experience of the flat, bare cliffs that rise vertically from the sea. Slana is also suitable for fishing. SVETI DUH This is an extremely peaceful area with spacious meadows and long beaches. The seabed is covered in fine sand. The springs of water exist on many beaches. Sv. Duh is 5,5 nautical miles distant from Pag, and 15 km by road.