Fodor's Expert Review Tvrdalj

Stari Grad's tvrdalj, or fortress, is the palace of renowned Renaissance-era local poet Petar Hektorović (1487–1572). The Tvrdalj was later renovated in 18th-century Baroque style, and a partial restoration was completed in the 19th century. Hektorović originally attempted to create a "model universe" to be embodied in his home. To that end, a large fish pond on-site is stocked with gray mullet, as it was in the poet's own time, representing the sea; above the fish pond in a tower is a dovecote, representing the air. Ivy was allowed to cover the walls to tie the home to the land. Quotations from Hektorović's striking poetry are inscribed on many walls.