Salt of the earth: How to experience the Croatian island of Pag’s salt pans
Salt, or ‘white gold’, has been produced on this photogenic Croatian island for
over a millennium – and now visitors can get involved, reports Richard Mellor
At first sight, Pag appears prehistoric. Just an hour away from Zadar, and scored by two mountain ridges, it’s a ragged, 64km-long finger of barren limestone (reminiscent of the moon’s rocky terrain) stark against the mineral-blue Adriatic. However, closer inspection reveals picturesque towns and the glinting, watery lattices of salt flats.
Visitors can access Pag, Croatia’s fifth-largest island, either by ferry or via a 301m-long road bridge. Aside from a few scattered villages, it has two main settlements: Novalja, famous for its clubs and nearby electro festivals, and the sleepier, cathedral-crowned Pag Town. Hardy sheep outnumber residents by four to one; hikers and cyclists are the other free-roaming anomalies, crossing silent, sage-studded flanks towards ruined Byzantine forts or empty pebble beaches. And these mesmeric landscapes often come with a whiff of salt…
Salt tours and spas
So-called ‘white gold’ has long shaped Pag’s identity. While records trace salt production on the island to 999 AD, it’s widely accepted that it was harvested here during Roman occupation, when it was used to pay soldiers (hence the word ‘salary’) or traded for gold.
Later, the Venetians cannily monopolised all Adriatic coastal saltworks. That included Solana Pag, which remains by far Croatia’s largest producer. Its faintly sweet-tasting sea salt is made using evaporation techniques that the Romans would no doubt recognise.
“During winter, the 210kph bura winds leave Pag covered in salt,” explained Igor Orešković, Solana Pag’s head of sales. “Where the continental part of Croatia has frost, we have salt.”
Visitors can be shown around Solana Pag’s expanse of pans and pools, near Pag Town, learning about the history of salt on the island, tasting gourmet fleur de sel – the crust of evaporating seawater – and even collecting salt themselves. Requested in advance, tours take place at 7am from June to September.
“This is also a Natura 2000 area,” added Orešković. “As well as the Mediterranean toothcarp, there are also more than 200 bird species found on our estate.”
Try to also drop by the permanent exhibition on salt production, a small museum amid nearby Pag Town’s old stone warehouses, or sample some saltbased halotherapy.
Taste more of Pag
Salt is far from the island’s lone delicacy. Strong Pag cheese is an acclaimed sheep’s milk concoction, whereas spit-roasted Pag lamb is the island’s staple dish (and a much-loved delicacy among locals and visitors alike). Although the influence of the region’s salt is never far away. “Many products here reflect its abundance,” said Darka Šćerbe Haupt, a local tour guide. “However, the island also has many other interesting foods, from baškotini, aromatic rusks made by Benedictine nuns, to oil from Lun, where you’ll find some of the world’s oldest olive trees.” There’s plenty to savour on Pag.
Don’t miss…
Experience another of Pag’s traditions at the Pag Lace Gallery. In 2009, the ancient tradition of lace making on the island was added to list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Admire the gallery’s exhibits of Pag lace through the years, see how Pag lace is made and discover why it is so special to the islanders of Pag.
