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Althrough
geographically small, this area boasts the magnificent
combination of the clearest of Adriatic waters, the
interiors karst system with its numerous fresh water
springs and the famous Neretva river in the Northeast
of the region. Integral to this meeting of land and
sea are the islands which form the southernmost tip
of the Adriatic coast. The defining characteristics
of the landscape are the evergreen flora, pine and
oak forests, macchia, karst fields, valleys and plateaux
as well as the unique delta of the Neretva river.
At the foot of high mountains Mediterranean, tropical
and sub-tropical plants grow, flower and bear fruit.
Such gifts of nature have been unfairly ignored by
visitors compared to the objects of beauty created
by man! The Dubrovnik - Neretva region is filled with
many natural phenomena of world wide repute: magnificent
Konavle, the plateau of Rudine, the valleys of Majkova,
Stonsko polje and Crna gora on Peljesac. Other significant
features include: Rijeka Dubrovacka and Ombla river,
the sources of Europes longest underground river;
the Neretva Delta and its wildlife reservation (abounding
with birds, fish, shells and eels); the bay of Mali
Ston with ancient oyster beds; Mljet National Park
filled with beautiful lakes; Arboretum Trsteno, containing
a large number of carefully nurtured plants and the
oldest and largest plane-trees in Europe. It is also
the setting for the Lokrum Reservation which hosts
some of the most beautiful macchia, a horticultural
park set in the grounds of a Benedictine convent,
as well as the Botanical garden proudly displaying
its unique collection of tropical and sub-tropical
plants, imported to this very day by loyal seamen
from around the world. The crowning glory of the collection
is the array of at least sixty variants of Eucalyptus
tree. Lastovo and Korcula and their tiny neighbouring
islands are bathed bay the warm Mediterranean currents
flowing directly from Otrant, which influences both
the climate and the way of life enjoyed by the islanders.
The current brings with it numerous kinds of fish;
the predatory yellowtail, brightly coloured lobsters
and magnificently ugly frog-fish. The most beautiful
of all souvenirs, the red reef, grows on the sea-bed
of Konavle, Mljet, Korcula and Lastovo.
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The
well-tilled and cultivated paysage of the Dubrovnik
littoral is dominated by olive groves and vineyards.
Besides these typical crops, the residents of old
Dubrovnik cultivated medicinal plants, almond trees,
bitter oranges, rosemary and myrtle, oleanders of
all colours. Characterised by creative leisure, the
life in Dubrovnik also reflected a scientific and
aesthetic curiosity which sprang from their rural,
agricultural skills, as well as an awareness of the
need for healthy and serene living. This atmosphere
of the quintessence of everything that is characteristic
of the Mediterranean region is the best expression
of the uniqueness and serenity of the patrician and
peasant life outlook of the residents of Dubrovnik.
The beauty of rounded bushes and treetops, as they
melt into a harmonious whole with a clear but tamed
mountain brook, whose water was the pride of the philosopher
Gucetic as he supervised the harvest on his property
and enjoyed the peaceful country life far from the
affairs of state, is nowhere so apparent as in Trsteno.
The one-storey sailors houses in Slano and Orasac
and their picturesque courtyards, adorned with colums
and pergolas, give way to parks and stone facades
of Veliki Zaton. These in turn are superseded by the
scenic greenery of the coastline promenade, which
passes by a number of small harbours and sheltering
numerous fishing boats and yachts. For centuries,
the Rijeka Dubrovacka area, with its rich orchards
"trained by the mild chill and flowers which
the mild winter doesnt burn" (Ilija Crijevic),
with its agreeable climate that tempers even the coldest
winter months and the driest summers, has offered
shelter to leisured yachtsmen who sailed along its
coasts. From its source to its mouth, the Rijeka Dubrovacka
river is Flanked by stately summer residences equipped
with kitchen gardens. Here and there, one espies an
alluring flower garden through a chink in the stone
wall.
