




the village - the island
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The small harbour MartinšÄ‡ica in the picturesque bay located at the west coast of the croatian island Cres is the location of vacation home IL BLU. The house was built in 1905 while the austrian-hungarian Danube monarchy - at that time "St.Martin", later on - under italian authority - the name of the village was translated into "San Martino".
The Name of the village dates back to the 16th century and the medieval church of sacred Martin he was also the village´s patron saint. The old fort was build in 17th cnetury and owned by the family Sforza shows with the remains of its stront castelwalls the former defences of the harbour agianst pirates.
There is a lot to discover in the island capital Cres with its partly Venetian character, the glamorous Mali Losinj or the picturesque Veli Losinj in the south.
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The lush mediterranian vegetation, Dolphins in front of the bay of MartinšÄ‡ica in the maritime nature reserve, crystal clear waters and the warm climate from May to October make the island a paradise for sailors and nature lovers seeking peace and quiet.
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The island of Cres (pronounced:Zres) lies in the northern part of the bay of Kvarner. The island is 66 km long and varies in width from 2 to 12 km. Also fascinating is the contrast between the sub-Mediterranean part in the far north with its high and dense forests of holm oaks, beeches, elms and chestnuts and its central and southern parts with tropical vegetation, Palms and Bougainvillies. About 1,300 plant species and a fauna with a large number of endemic animal species are represented. The island of Cres is also one of the few remaining breeding sites of a now very rare species - the Griffon vulture, Eurasian Griffon. There are no poisonous snakes on the island. Excellent microclimatic conditions and many kilometres of hiking trails lure you outside. Lake Vrana, covering an area of 5. 75 square kilometres, provides the entire island with plenty of delicious drinking water..
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