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sightseeing

Cara

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Cara (pronounced Chara) is an old Korcula’s village with about 700 inhabitants located in the central part of Island of Korcula , along the main road, about 25 km from Korcula Old Town. Cara is one of the oldest settlements of the Korcula Island and is spread on the south slope of the surrounding hills, just above a large and fertile field called Carsko Polje (pronounced Charsko Polye), covered with olive groves and vineyards. Due to it’s off-the-coast location, Cara enjoys a lot of sunshine all year around, especially in the winter, when it southern position give this village an abundance of pleasurable afternoon sunshine.

Cara has it’s parish church Sveti Petar located in the very centre of the village, dating back to 15th century, where valuable painting Christ with Disciples by L. Hassano is hanged above it’s altar. In front of the church, on the small paved square, there is a huge ( 50 m height ) and couple hundred years old cypress tree ( some say it is 500 yrs old! ) , that is probably one of the oldest cypress trees in Europe. Because of it’s age and size, this cypress tree is protected by law since 1825.

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Carsko Polje

In the huge filed Carsko Polje is located the old graveyard with the it’s church of Our Lady of Cara Field ( Gospa od Carskog polja ) dating back from from the 14st century, later stylised in Baroque manner. The church contains an impressive marble altar with a colored English bas-relief in alabaster depicting four scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary. This church is the a centre of pilgrimage tradition on the 25 of July every year ( day of Sveti Jakov – St. Jakob’s Day ) when locals are having their traditional church procession ( click for similar procession held in Korcula Town)

Cara has it’s Kastil (Spanica Kastil) too – an old fortified summer houses built in 17th century by Korcula Old Town’s landowners Spanic, who at the time owned the whole of the Carsko Polje field. Kastel ‘ Spanic’ in Cara is located on the very entrance to the village, (coming from Korcula it is on the right-hand side) on the steep and hilly position with beautiful views over Carsko Polje filed all the way to Adriatic sea and island of Lastovo and Monte Gargano in Italy…

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Wine cellar in Carsko Polje

Cara is traditionally village of vine growers. In Carsko Polje (the filed) Cara’s winegrowers built their large wine cellar where a well known white wine Posip is made. This wine cellar is located near the little road that connects Cara and it’s bays of Zavalatica and Zitna on the south. Zavalatica harbour used to be the port for wine exports. Nowadays, it is a small tourist resort where, as well as in the the nearby bay of Zitna visitors can find apartments and rooms to rent as well as few cafes and restaurants offering good food and great wine..

There is a daily bus service from Korcula to Cara that runs about 6 times a day.

Korcula – Cara daily bus departures:

weekdays 04.10; 06.40; 10.15; 14.10; 15.00; 18.30

Saturdays 04.10; 06.40; 10.15; 15.00; 18.30

Sundays 06.30; 07.45; 15.00; 18.30

Cara – Korcula daily bus departures:

weekdays 05.15; 06.30; 10.00; 13.35; 16.00; 18.00

Saturdays 05.15; 06.30; 13.35; 16.00; 18.00

Sundays 05.15; 13.30; 16.00; 18.00