Biokovo Eye (Šuplja stina) via the French Road

At the mention of Brela, beyond the most beautiful beaches you’ll find anywhere, the first thing that comes to mind is its famous rock in the sea.

An equally interesting but slightly lesser-known attraction sits on the ridge of Biokovo above Brela. Biokovsko oko (the “Biokovo Eye”) or Šuplja stina (“Hollow Stone”) is a natural opening in the rock that frames a fantastic view of Brela, the island of Brač, and the beautiful blue sea. It’s easy to reach, and lies between Nevistina stina and the Pakline mountain shelter.

Biokovsko oko can be reached from several directions. This time we opted for the ascent along the southern side, so that we could finally see the famous Francuska cesta (the “French Road”) as well.

The climb starts from Gornji Krička, a settlement above the coastal highway. We left the car below the chapel of St. Roch, but it’s best to park a few hundred metres earlier, in the centre in front of the supermarket. We didn’t start our ascent along Francuska cesta, as it seemed better suited for the descent. When we’re rested and have a choice, we like to take the slightly harder but faster trail. So we set off between the houses straight uphill, and after coming out onto the gravel track that runs above the last houses, we took the hiking path leading off to the left, heading directly towards Nevistina stina. We’ve already written about Nevistina stina. It sits on the saddle that is the only spot suitable for climbing onto the ridge and crossing over to the other side of the mountain.

The trail is easy and interesting. In the first section it leads through vegetation that offers plenty of shade, before breaking out onto bare karst at the halfway point. The whole way, you have a beautiful view of the sea and the island of Brač.

One of the running jokes during the climb was that you just had to follow the power lines and they’d lead you to Nevistina stina. We’ve often raised the issue of environmental devastation by power lines in our articles.

On the way to Nevistina stina, the trail passes by the small chapel of St. Caius.

At Nevistina stina we take a slightly longer break. The weather is perfect, the view fantastic!

From here it isn’t far to Šuplja stina — perhaps a little over half an hour of easy walking. A gentle climb accompanies us the whole way. Every so often we stop, awestruck by the incredible views. The most spectacular are those to the west, towards Omiška Dinara and Mosor.

The pakline forest (a stand of pitch-pines) we walk through is distinctive and interesting.

Somewhere around halfway from Nevistina stina, we come across a deep pit. Apart from a numerical marking on a metal plate, there’s no other warning. Approach with caution!

Soon we arrive at Biokovsko oko. The experience pleasantly surprised us — everything looks more beautiful than in the photos we had seen before planning the trip. The stone arch and the view through it really are unique in our part of the world!

From the right (western) side, an easy and safe climb leads to the top of the stone arch. An ideal spot to soak in the view and the sun.

From the arch we drop down into the opening itself. Although we hadn’t really noticed the wind before, it was blowing quite strongly through the gap in the rock.

After looking around and taking photos, we linger a little longer to enjoy the view, then slowly start back. Since we’ve spent more time than planned and the winter day is short, we leave the route to the Pakline shelter for another trip. The shelter is about as far again as the walk from Nevistina stina to Biokovsko oko.

On the way back, not far from the chapel of St. Caius, at the crossroads we head straight south-east. That path soon drops us down onto Francuska cesta.

After everything we’d already seen, our expectations weren’t high — but Francuska cesta delighted us in every respect! It really is an exceptional project. It’s pleasant to walk along and never dull. Along with the information panels, it’s flanked by spectacular views — onto Biokovo on one side and the sea on the other.

The road is damaged in many places, partly by the ravages of time and partly by human activity in its lower stretches. Stone from the road’s construction was certainly “borrowed” for building dry-stone walls and the surrounding houses. Nothing unusual — many of our fortresses across Croatia have met the same fate.

A few more words about Francuska cesta

This is a road built during the time of Napoleon and his conquests across Europe. It was meant to connect the coast with the hinterland, but was never completed. Even unfinished, it stands as an outstanding feat of engineering and a first-class tourist attraction. In its lower part it’s hidden by pine forest, and from there it climbs on through the bare karst of Biokovo.

Credit for its construction goes to Auguste Marmont, supreme commander of the French army in Dalmatia. At the time it was dangerous to transport cargo along the coast, as there was a constant threat of attack from Venice. Another reason for tying the road into the interior was the long-running Russian and English blockade of the Mediterranean. The new roads were built on top of the old Roman roads, which had been the lifeblood of the empire two thousand years earlier. Those Roman roads were designed for comfortable and rapid travel across the empire. According to one of the information panels, Roman roads were designed for speeds that allowed the following daily distances to be covered:

• 12 km — ox cart
• 30 km — walking and military march
• 36 km — “ordinary driving”, presumably referring to a horse-drawn carriage
• 50 km — “accelerated driving”
• 56 km — single horseman
• 60 km — fast short-distance military marches
• 67 km — express state mail
• 250 km — relay horse couriers

The project itself was the Austrians’ brainchild. But, as people of that era used to say, the Austrians spent ten years planning and weighing up the options for construction, while Marmont got it done in the time it took him to mount and dismount his horse. This Francuska cesta was part of a much longer road meant to connect Ljubljana, Dubrovnik, and Kotor. The Austrian Emperor Francis I is said to have remarked, during his visit to Dalmatia in 1818, that it was a pity Marmont hadn’t stayed a few more years — so impressed was he with his building achievements.