Brela Stone

Why it is worth your time

Brela Stone is a lone rock rising from the sea a few dozen metres off the shore in front of Punta Rata, with pines rooted in the cracks at its top, which together create the most recognisable image of the Makarska riviera. Without this stone Brela would be just another lovely beach; with it the town became a postcard appearing in every catalogue and in every second photograph of the Adriatic. The rock is easily swum to, some thirty strokes from the shingle, and around it the sea is deeper and colder, with fish gathering in the shade; a diving mask doubles the pleasure here.

Climbing the rock is not intended, the stone is slippery and the pines protected, so swimmers content themselves with a circle around it. The best frame is from the water or from the point of Punta Rata in the late afternoon, when the sun falls from the west and lights the pines from below. With a little patience you get the photograph that every second postcard stand in Dalmatia has, only yours.