Tower of love with a view of 50 shades of blue

Close your eyes and imagine a Mediterranean forest, lush green, fragrant and full of life.

Are you?

Good… And now around that forest imagine a turquoise sea that invites you to swim, dive or sit carefree on the beach…

Imagine a place without the sound of a car…

You have just imagined the island of Silba, about 15 square kilometers of earthly paradise in the Adriatic Sea. It is also called the gate of Dalmatia, and apart from its beautiful nature, it is also special because it is known as an island of pedestrians. Namely, there are no cars and engines on this island, only a few tractors used to supply shops. Precisely because of this, the only traffic for guests and locals to transport things are trailers, the so-called "Karici" which have become a trademark of the island.

A walk through the streets of the only place Silba will win you over at first and second and third glance. Laughter that echoes through the narrow streets, the smell of salsa that travels through the air like a gastronomic version of the Morse code, island zen in which time flows a little differently, somehow finer, slower and more human… Silba will enter your heart like a skilled charmer without you even noticing.

In the middle of the small town is a tall, elegant building that oversees everything like a caring older sister. The inhabitants of Silba call him The Tower of Love or Marinic's Tower. It is a round narrow tower whose external circular staircase leads to a plateau from which the view shoots at 50 shades of intoxicating Adriatic sea blue.

Aside from looking like it was created for posting on social media, this tower is a monument to a love that generations of Silbenians have heard about.

Silba - an island where love has its monument

Namely, in the 19th century, Petar Marinić and Antonija Mauro fell in love. Both young, beautiful and with many plans for life together. Peter was a sailor, and Antonia greeted him with longing every time he returned from sailing. Before going on a trip, he promised her: "We will get married when I return, we will plant a garden around the house, and a tower in the garden from which we will watch the whole island and the sea." A kiss and farewell followed.

The years passed, and Peter became acquainted with all the cruelty of the cold seas, both of America, of the coast of Australia. At the same time Antonia realized all the storms and unbeliefs of loneliness. Eventually she got tired of waiting and married another man.

After a long voyage across the world's oceans, Peter returned to his native island after 20 years. Now he was no longer just a sailor, but a real sea wolf who was greeted by many girls on his return. But his Antonia was not there. His attention was drawn to a child who looked strikingly like his love from his youth. His friends told him that it was Antonija's daughter Domenika, and Petar knelt in front of her and said: “Antonija was not waiting for me, but if my mother could not become my wife, then she would become my daughter. I will wait until this child develops into a woman. ”

Peter was persistent and waited, as long as 20 years for his voyage through the seas of the world. When he married Domenica, he built a tower in the garden long promised to her mother, next to which still stands the inscription: "This tower was built in 1872 as a sign of love and fidelity. It was built by the old sea wolf Petar Marinić. ”

Source: Croatian National Tourist Board / Croatia.hr