4-The ancient vine trail
Located between Rogoznica and Trogir, elongated in the direction from west to east for only 5 and a half kilometres, the Marina peninsula in the southeast of the municipality is encrusted with endless blue gems – enchanting bays of the crystal-clear sea. It is bordered by the Čiovo and Drvenilki canals, Marina and Viniška bays, Fangara, Bakakarac, Velika and Mala Borovica coves, Voluja and Ljubljeva beaches…
This rugged land, on which vines and olive trees thrive, rises up to 288 metres on the highest peak, Velo. In the deep cove of the same name, the picturesque Vinišće begins its tale sometime in the Middle Ages, and owes its name to the vine, because vinišća is an old Croatian word for vineyards. Plantations were planted here by Roman military veterans, and wine was probably shipped to other regions, so it is not unusual to assume that at the bottom of the bay, in addition to the complex of villae rusticae at Japlena gomila site, there was also a Roman dock.
Safe bay often sheltered the ships that passed here, and Trogir Cathedral was built using the stone from the famous quarries.
At the time of the Ottoman invasion, Vinišće was an important point in the defence of Dalmatia, but in 1537, after the fall of Klis, almost two dreary centuries followed, when this area endured all the hardships of being located on the border between the Republic of Venice and the Ottoman Empire.
Marina
26,9km
2h
Technical characteristics
The beginning of the trail follows the coastal road, after which the first longer climb of 2.5 km and an average slope of 6.9% begins with two short, extremely steep sections. The trail passes by an olive grove, after which it turns onto the road. After a short ride on the road, the first descent of medium difficulty with trail characteristics begins on a surface of scattered larger stones with a couple of serpentines. During the descent, the view of Vinišće slowly opens up. At the end of the descent, you enter the edge of the village and the part where the “eight” route overlaps, and the trail passes through a short narrow passage between the houses, where the second, slightly steeper 2.1 km long climb begins with an average slope of 8.1% and with a number of extremely steep sections. From here, the views over the Marina and the bay slowly open up, which is one of the most fascinating features of this route. When you reach the top, the second longer descent begins, which is adorned with views and smaller, deeper rock and sand, and the technical difficulty of the descent is lower. After the descent, the most wonderful part of the trail begins, which leads along the sea and later begins to climb. At the end of the trail, the road section leads to the starting point. Due to the technical difficulty on certain descents, the trail is best suited to slightly more experienced cyclists, but anyone can ride it on an MTB. Frequent steep slopes will suit more trained cyclists better.