- [Announcer] Production funding for "Outside Beyond the Lens" provided by Visit Fresno County, home to unique attractions, California's fifth largest city, and easy access to three nearby National Parks.

By Advance Beverage Company, serving Bakersfield and Kern County for over 50 years.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet.

- We are proud to support the spirit of travel in each of us.

Every journey has a first step.

Adventures start here.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] By Hodges Electric Inc, over five decades of delivering innovative solutions for residential, agricultural, and battery storage systems.

By the Penstar Group, promoting opportunity and growth for the future.

By Central California's Valley children's healthcare, futures worth fighting for.

By A-Plus Signs, we never stop innovating for you.

And by Valley Air Conditioning and Repair, family-owned and trusted for over 50 years, proud to support public television and the wonders of travel.

(gentle music) - First impressions play a big role when we travel, especially when they are tested against expectations that have long been advertised.

The Dalmatian Coast of Croatia and the myriad of islands that rise offshore from the clear waters of the Adriatic have lured us back to one of our favorite European countries.

All right, well I'm up early.

Dave's down here somewhere.

I'm looking for Dave.

He got up before me, which never happens.

But this time, the challenge we've accepted is to show off a different side of a popular vacation hotspot beyond the playground for the rich label it proudly wears.

- The island of Hvar is actually the only island that has six UNESCO heritage sites.

- Six on this island?

- Yes.

- That's amazing.

There is a long and rich history here built into the stone walls and streets that pulls us deeper into the past.

Just a big stone grinder to make flour out of, right?

- [Worker] Yes.

- Where some of the oldest agricultural fields anywhere on earth still remain.

And where new faces tell old stories about food and wine and lives lived here long ago.

Wow!

It's a place fighting to hold onto the traditions that shaped it.

We're going to look at a long traditional practice of making lace by the nuns of the monastery.

While embracing those who come here to drink in its rare beauty.

We might even put a kayak in the water.

I'm thinking David Boomer should kayak over there.

I'm feeling good about that.

I think David Boomer kayaks.

Zack and I ride on a speedboat.

All of it making the island of Hvar a lesson in contrasts.

All of it wonderful, revealing, and not what we expected.

Oh my God, look at this.

Exactly what travel is supposed to be.

(group speaking foreign language) When you travel, the world becomes a smaller place.

When you explore with friends like mine who share a love of photography, destinations come to life.

(upbeat music) (plane zooming) (Jeff laughing) We tell the stories of travel with our cameras, capturing the wonders of this world in every frame.

Day one of filming on the island and it's like crazy.

But on every trip, the unplanned moments we film are the ones we remember the most.

Jordan, good to meet you brother.

- [Jordan] Good to meet you too, man.

- Now join, David Boomer, Zack Allen, Jon Neely, and me, Jeff Aiello, as we set out on a new journey to discover the people, places, and food that all make travel life's never ending adventure.

This is "Outside Beyond the Lens."

(upbeat music) (gentle music) (announcer speaking faintly) - [Jeff] We're back in one of our favorite European destinations after another long day and a half of air travel that has us a little on the tired side, but is oh so worth it.

We're in the Croatian city of Split, and running to catch a 5:00 ferry that will take us off the Dalmatian Coast to one of the world's vacation hotspots, the island of Hvar.

Hvar has long been a popular place for the young and rich of Europe and beyond to come and play at its famous nightclubs and luxury seaside resorts that please and pamper.

But there is another side of this island getaway that we want to explore.

A side rich in history, age-old traditions, amazing food, and that will better connect us to one of the things we love most about Croatia, its people.

- Mint juice.

- Mint juice.

We make it on the ferry quickly, but realize there's no outside seating or observation decking on this particular vessel.

And immediately, my thoughts turn to Zack and his love of sea travel.

All right, dude, you gonna make it?

- I don't know.

- Dude, just keep looking out the window, man.

- I'm going for the dram just to be careful, just to make sure, because last time I was inside stuffed up in a place like this, did not end well.

(upbeat music) - With the sun setting over the Adriatic, our one hour ferry ride delivers us to the picturesque port of Hvar Town.

This is the historic and cultural capital of the island, home to about 4,000 people.

But in the summer and fall, Hvar Town is bustling with tourists from around the world.

Yeah, we're going all the way to the promenade and then left.

After two full days of travel to Hvar from California, we are ready for some sleep.

In the morning, we will meet our local guides who will have a full day planned for us exploring beyond the charms of Hvar Town and into the history and beauty of this Croatian paradise on the Adriatic Sea.

(gentle music) Early morning in Hvar as another late summer day comes to life.

Part of the Venetian Empire between the 13th and 18th centuries, Hvar Town has always been an important part of the sea trading routes on the Adriatic.

We're all up before sunrise to make this short hike down from our hilltop hotel to capture the feel and imagery of Hvar before it fully awakens.

All right, well I'm up early.

Dave's down here somewhere.

I'm looking for Dave.

He got up before me, which never happens, and he's down here getting some shots.

You can see why, it's a beautiful morning here at Hvar Town on the island of Hvar on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia.

We got a good night's rest last night, and what we're doing now is just getting up, having a little walk around the harbor this morning.

This is, as you probably know, if you watch this show, we love getting up early and we love getting these slices of life morning shots, street photography sort of mode.

A lot of times, it's fun to just do it by yourself.

We'll just split up and we'll text each other in the morning and say, "Hey, I'm gonna head out about 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning.

I'll catch up with you guys somewhere in town."

(gentle music) We're here in late September, near the end of the big tourism push to Hvar, but crowds are still gathering as the sun tries to fight through an unusually cloudy sky.

Hvar is commonly known as the sunniest place in Europe, but we've managed to hit a rare weather window with thunderstorms forecast for later in the week.

(upbeat music) After our morning stroll, we're connected with our local guides who will be showing us points beyond Hvar Town, where most of the tourism on Hvar stays.

For our first day on island, we're packed in tight for a thrilling ride across Hvar's winding and narrow roads with tour operator Zorana from Debonda Traveling, and Marina from the Visit Hvar Tourism Office.

Zorana, or Z as I've already nicknamed her, is showing some driving patterns strangely similar to our last Croatia show and tell expert Eva back in Zagreb.

And did you grow up on the island?

- Yes.

Was born in Germany and grew up in Germany.

But my family is coming from the island of Hvar, and then we moved 20 years ago back to Hvar.

- Gotcha.

You guys like following pretty close to the car in front of you?

(group laughing) After not really adjusting to Z's driving and instead just kind of going with it and hoping for the best, the views begin to open up as we learn another rare distinction of this magical place.

- The island of Hvar is actually the only island that has six UNESCO heritage sites.

- [Jeff] Six on this island?

- Yes.

- That's amazing.

UNESCO World heritage designations are tough to be established.

So if you have six in a place the size of Hvar, you know this is a special island.

After a 30 minute drive across the island, our first stop is one of the oldest towns in all of Europe, and home to one of the island's six UNESCO designations, Stari Grad.

Originally named Pharaohs after Greek settlement here in 384 BC.

Stari Grad lies on the northern coast of Hvar and adjacent to the ancient agricultural fields of the Stari Grad plain.

Z stays with the car as Marina takes over, excited to show us around Stari Grad.

(bell ringing) The canals, boats, and waterfront shops and restaurants give this place a Venetian feel.

And just off one of the main piazzas after a short walk, we come to an important residence in the long history of Stari Grad, the castle of Hektorovic.

(gentle music) Petar Hektorovic was a renowned 16th century poet in Croatia who fortified this summer home to provide shelter for villagers from invading Ottoman Turks.

As a noble, this was considered an heroic act to give refuge to commoners during this turbulent time in Hvar's history.

One of the lasting features of the castle is this fish pond in its inner courtyard.

- The pond that's technically the heart of the place, and the main part of the poet's idea to create a microcosmos.

So like a small world of its own with something for all living creatures.

And so it's also decorated with Latin inscriptions, which are part of poet's philosophy.

- [Jeff] Some of Hektorovic's inscriptions are still visible today, carved in Latin, Croatian, and Italian, and share thoughts and observations of life here in his time.

Marina and Z have a pretty tight schedule plan for us today, which means we can't spend as much time as we'd like photographing Stari Grad.

But if you make it here, plan on a couple of days in this place.

It has an intimate, authentic vibe that will transport you back in time.

And the slower pace helps travelers soak in the history and scenic beauty of one of the oldest towns in Europe.

(gentle music) We're now headed east into the heart of the ancient agricultural fields of the Stari Grad Plain to meet a woman who is connecting visitors to Hvar with its long agricultural and culinary history.

These ag fields were originally laid out 2,400 years ago by Greek settlers who took advantage of the rich soils and perfect Mediterranean climate to grow food for an expanding civilization.

Now, on this small plot of land that looks just as it has for centuries, thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage Protections, is a working farm to fork business that caters to small groups with a hunger for history and locally grown food.

Right here, okay, nice.

Kornelija Pavicic, who prefers to be called Nona, left her corporate world behind to return to these fields to reconnect with the land and share with others the deep bond the people of Hvar have always had with these fields.

How long have you had this set up out here?

- I started this year.

- You started this year?

- Yes, yes, yes.

I will not have more than six guests per day, never.

- [Jeff] That's cool, that way they get- - Otherwise doesn't matter for cooking classes or dinner.

Six because I know from my profession that six is the best group because you can be interactive with everybody.

(gentle music) - [Jeff] Before we make our way to the incredible spread Nona has laid out, she takes me to a pile of old stones that was once a home to the original farmers who settled these fields centuries ago.

- They slept here, actually.

- [Jeff] So this is where they, oh, look at this.

- They were living there in this village where we are living now.

And they slept, please join me just to show all together, all families, children, and everybody.

They slept with them.

- [Jeff] They all crowded in here.

- [Kornelija] This is one dream.

It is called dream.

- Wow.

- Yes, this is great.

(gentle music) - Nona's dream was to introduce those visiting Hvar to the rich traditions and heritage of the Stari Grad Plain.

This field or Polje in Croatian is the name of Nona's boutique culinary experience offering cooking classes and dining to small groups.

Oh, that's great.

An amazing concept for agritourism, and a timely stop for us since we're all getting a little hungry.

Okay, so what you're seeing here is still, my brain is still trying to wrap around it, but we are in agricultural fields that are literally 24 centuries old.

And the Greeks first settled this area, and the heritage of what they did here is still alive today because of Kornelija and what she's prepared for us back here, and what her vision is to extend the knowledge of that heritage.

So that's what we're doing here today.

We're gonna sit down now.

She just kind of laid out everything for us.

We're gonna sit down now and kinda get into the taste test here.

This is kind of fun.

We don't normally get to do this kind of thing on the show.

This is not a food show typically, but this is so tied to the beauty and to the heritage of the area that we wanna make sure we honor that right now.

- I say every family has its own recipe.

- [Jeff] You can feel the love that Kornelija and her son have for this place and the traditions of locally grown food and wine they keep alive.

- They're putting alive so everything they do.

- [Jeff] But as we sit here in the middle of the oldest agricultural fields on earth, lost in a moment of joy that only comes around a table where food and drink are shared, something catches me by surprise.

Hvar is a place of breathtaking beauty and rich history, but Croatians are, without a doubt, among the most friendly and welcoming people we've ever met in our travels.

We literally only met these folks in the last two hours, and it feels like we've been old friends for years.

(group speaking foreign language) - Cheers.

- [All] Cheers.

- [Jeff] Nona's passion for what she's built here has come full circle.

- [Kornelija] Tomatoes, tomatoes and.

- Wow.

- Oh that's nice.

- That is nice.

- An intimate experience that has connected strangers from far away to the spirit of the Stari Grad Plain and the importance agriculture plays in all civilizations.

Agriculture is something to be treasured and protected, and most importantly shared through a love of food, strong grapa, and time spent together.

Love you, man.

You did great.

You did great.

Thank you so much.

- Thank you, thank you.

Thank you.

- We're gonna miss you.

All right.

- Me too.

- But we gotta go.

Come on.

(upbeat music) Croatia's coastline is home to over 1,200 islands.

49 of them are permanently inhabited, making this a paradise for sailors, cruising yachts, and lovers of the sea.

Z and Marina have another stop planned for us not far away in the hilltop town of Vrisnik, where a unique travel experience is like stepping into a time machine back to the ancient ways of Dalmatia.

Okay, so where are we?

What is this place?

Say it again?

- Vrisnik.

- Vrisnik, okay, we're in Vrisnik now, and we've been invited into this wonderful home, and we're gonna learn some traditional hospitality of the old Dalmatian way from what I understand, okay?

I'm a little bit briefed on it.

(laughs) (bright music) I've got a good driver tour guide back here, she's pretty good.

The Terra Arhaica experience is run by a family not only with deep ties to the old ways of Hvar, but they've collected an outstanding array of items that connect visitors to the past.

- Got figs, arancia, that's orange peel and sugar and almonds.

- [Jeff] Get in there, Zack.

Let's get that.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

Jacob and his family take us on an immersive walk back in time 200 years to the old Dalmatian ways of living.

- When you're about the spices, here are two most important spices in Dalmatian cuisine.

Dried rosemary and the bay leaves.

And here, you can see the food they used to have in those times, for the purpose, ft is in the glass bottles so that you can see it.

So basically it's celandines, bit of barley, bit of chickpea.

And here are the capers.

- [Jeff] And so all of this would've been the stuff that was on island anyway, right?

- Yes, yes.

These are traditional groceries.

- This is the way how they- - [Jeff] From the period clothing worn to the cooking and farming practices they still use today, this is a unique way to see a side of Hvar you just won't have access to unless you explore the entire island like this.

- [Speaker] They have to here, iron, it's one old iron.

- [Jeff] And so you would fill that with coals?

- [Speaker] And they put it here, coals inside clothes, and then they should iron.

And they need to be very careful because ashes go.

- [Jeff] Yeah, you have to keep this close by.

- Yeah.

You can mess again, yeah.

- [Jeff] Winemaking on Hvar has long traditions and today is home to a winemaking region growing in popularity.

And as we enter another old school collection on Jacob's tour, we see how the art of winemaking along the Dalmatian Coast has evolved.

- So when they came home, they had a few choices how to smash up the wine grapes.

One was with the barrel legs here in this barrel.

Another one was with a stick, smashing in with a stick.

And third one is with this 150 years old piece.

Let's say that this is new technology.

It's basically the razor or the juice maker for the wine grapes.

They did it like this, I will show you.

So they have put some grapes inside and smash it.

The grapes finished up here, and then they squeeze it, squeeze it.

At the start, it was very easy, but later, it was harder and harder.

And after few squeezes, now you'll see what they have been waiting throughout the year the result of their work.

Basically the juice for the preparing the wine.

(gentle music) - [Jeff] Our time with Jacob and his family is something that will be long remembered, making the effort to learn about the history and traditions of the places you travel makes your time exploring more meaningful, and you always will take home a better appreciation of the world you discover.

The Mediterranean diet, born from these dishes and ingredients from the island, is one of Hvar's six UNESCO designations, foods that are as good for the body as they are delicious.

And even some homemade cookies rounded out the trip.

(bright music) As we climb back over the mountains that run the length of the island headed to Hvar Town, we see another sign of ancient life on Hvar that has left a unique mark on these hillsides for miles.

Among the wild lavender that grows predominantly over most of the island, these dry rock walls have stood for centuries and are another UNESCO protected asset on Hvar.

They were created over generations as these hillsides were cleared of the rock to reveal more soils to grow lavender and other crops on.

Additionally, these walls created useful hydraulic effects for early settlers.

With water on the island being tough to get and rain being an infrequent visitor, when storms do hit this island, the walls slow down and divert the water runoff, allowing it to soak into the ground instead of running out to sea.

In some places, the water would tank into pools, the walls acting as giant cisterns over the landscape.

(gentle music) On our way back to Hvar Town in the late afternoon, we take a detour to see a place not on the typical tourist routes or in the guidebooks here.

This is Velo Grablje, a small hillside village overlooking the Adriatic Sea and the distant Pakleni Islands.

First established in the 14th century, Velo Grablje is home to the oldest factory in Europe still in operation today producing world-class essential lavender and rosemary oils.

Today, it is mostly abandoned, with only 10 permanent residents living in the stone and tiles.

A town frozen in time, a place where men still make homemade wine in the streets, and who aren't shy about showing their feelings towards curious drones.

We fell in love with Croatia on our first trip here not long ago.

And our adventure to Hvar, off Croatia's Dalmatian Coast, has cemented why this has become one of our favorite European destinations.

But this journey has just begun.

There are many more discoveries to be made on the island of Hvar and beyond.

From exploring the blue waters that surround the nearby Pakleni Islands.

(both speaking foreign language) - [Jeff] I butchered that, but we got close.

- Don't worry.

- To cooking in one of the best backyards turned restaurant and lodge we've ever seen.

- This one will be for steak, and we will prepare a completely different one for you too.

(Jeff laughing) - There is more to see on the island on Hvar and more to treasure as our time here quickly passes.

We've kind of split up doing our own thing today, you can see the fort walls right behind me.

We often think of travel as something we'll do later in life when the days of work and raising families are behind us.

But if you wait too long, the kind of travel that requires a younger mind and body to venture beyond the crowds and places the masses gather may slip past you.

Words carved into the wall of Croatian poet Petar Hektorovic's castle in Stari Grad come to mind and should be considered when making plans to one day travel to places like Hvar.

Alas, the days flow like waves and never return.

(waves crashing) - [Announcer] Production funding for "Outside Beyond the Lens" provided by Visit Fresno County, home to unique attractions, California's fifth largest city, and easy access to three nearby National Parks.

By Advance Beverage Company, serving Bakersfield and Kern County for over 50 years.

By Hedrick's Chevrolet.

- We are proud to support the spirit of travel in each of us.

Every journey has a first step.

Adventures start here.

(gentle music) - [Announcer] By Hodges Electric Inc, over five decades of delivering innovative solutions for residential, agricultural, and battery storage systems.

By the Penstar Group, promoting opportunity and growth for the future.

By Central California's Valley children's healthcare, futures worth fighting for.

By A-Plus Signs, we never stop innovating for you.

And by Valley Air Conditioning and Repair, family-owned and trusted for over 50 years, proud to support public television and the wonders of travel.

(bright music)