The Old Fisherman˙s House

Croatian Unije Island is in the bay of Kvarner in the northern Adriatic Sea and is part of the Losinj archipelago. It is the 3rd largest island of the archipelago and is otherwise known as the island of love. Unije has a mild Mediterranean climate and pure, clean air. The island is made up of calcareous rock. The island is northwest of Mali Losinj and has an area of 17 square kilometers.

There are two prehistoric ruins of castles, one at the southern and the northern end of the island. On the shore of the cove Vrulje, there are several visible remains of a roman villa. The church of St Andrew was built in the fifteenth century.

The town is called Unije and is the only settlement. Unije is a typical fishing village and has a population of 85 residents in the winter. Unije’s inhabitants mainly work in the fishing industry and farm, rearing lambs. There are no cars on Unije but there is an airfield. You can reach Unije by ferry from Rijeka and Mali Losinj.

There are many bays and beaches on Unije, the largest bay is Maracol, which is popular with sailors. The island’s west coast is steep, whereas the east coast has many coves. Unije Island is covered in dense low lying vegetation; the gentle hills are close to the shoreline with macchia, fig and olive trees growing on the slopes

The island has 600 species of plants growing here. You can see fields of poppies and herbs such as rosemary, fennel and lavender. Local fauna comprises of dolphins, lizards, hedgehogs and pheasants.

The island has plenty of walking paths leading from the town, across the island and there are some cycling routes. Other popular sports on Unije are snorkeling, sailing, diving, surfing and fishing.